Two Walk's of Life
by the-unknown-guardian
Summary: Modern AU. Hiccelsa. Rated M for graphic conflicts and swearing. When a specialized team and a kingdom in need cross paths, things never go as expected. Watch as they battle enemies, handle their growing feelings, and their pasts. As the saying goes, "The only easy day was yesterday"
1. The Team

**A/N:**

 **Ok, this will be my first uploaded story with this account. I try to post frequently and I'll do my best to make that true. This story is a request for a friend. I've been out of practice for a little while, so please be a bit easy with the reviews. However, I will accept good constructive criticism and apply it. Without further ado, here's the story...**

 **Chapter 1: The Team**

 **Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean**

 **12MAY24 0512 HRS.**

 **Callsign: Reaper**

 **Reaper POV:**

 _I was awoken from my short sleep by a spot of turbulence. As I scanned the aircraft I took a good look at my team. Along the opposite wall of the C-130 that we were riding on were some of the bravest men I've had the pleasure of serving with. These men were far from just teammates, they were brothers in everything but blood. Together we've done things that most normal people couldn't even imagine doing. Sitting the farthest from me and closest to the ramp was SO3 Thomas "Meathead" James. He's a large man ringing in around 6'2 with dark hair and a beard that could make even Osama jealous. Don't let his nickname fool you though, the plans that he can come up with on the fly rival even mine. His hand to hand combat skill is rivaled by none he could even knock out Bruce Lee if he wanted to. A few seats down from him was another large man with blonde hair and a blonde beard to match. His knowledge for weapons astounds many, he has spent a lot of time examining, studying, and firing everything under the sun. Again he's another person who shouldn't be judged by his looks, for SOCS Christian "Kristoff" Bjorgman is by far the nicest person you'll ever meet. Next to him is the oddest person on the team, but by far the funniest. Kristoff's childhood friend and our team's doc sat asleep with is head back. The man stood roughly 5'10 and had a head of dark blonde hair, he however was not sporting a beard. He claimed it took to much to maintain it and shaving it was easier. HM2 Steven "Sven" Stamm kept us all on our toes and many of us owe him our lives. When he took a bullet a few missions ago he was given a chance to go home, but turned it down telling them "when my brothers are in the shit, then so am I." On the floor, with a blanket covering his face, was a new guy that we had all come to love. SOSN Jacob "Rabbit" Jones was the teams first casualty in a long time. He executed his mission and saved the lives of 3 people, but paid the ultimate sacrifice in return. As a thank you I agreed to present the flag to his wife a 2 daughters when we arrived home. To my left sat a man feared by all except those around him now. His demeanor made him seem like a person that you never want to cross paths with, but to those around him he was nothing but a "softy." This man I truly owe my life to, because when everyone else thought me dead, he kept hope and even lead the mission to rescue me. Alas, it cost him a leg in the process. He now sports a fully functional version of my prosthetic design meant to give full mobility back to wounded warriors. It looks and works like a real leg, complete with attachments to the central nervous system. To this day he's happy the DOD agreed to the terms of my release of the invention. It allowed both of us to remain in the Navy. Along with his prosthetic he sports the oddest look I've ever seen. His jet black hair and acid green eyes could make even gods shake at the knees. LTJG Brandon "Toothless" Hill is tie for best shot on the team only by myself. He is the teams second in command and my spotter, but don't think that's all he's good at. He, like myself, is quite well rounded and diverse in what he can accomplish. Which leaves the last person in the aircraft. I am the commander of SEAL team 13 codename "Night Fury." I stay well rounded on my skills much like my friend beside me, actually now that I think about it there's not many differences between us. Both of us joined looking for something, and in the end found what we needed most. Only a few differences exist between us like instead of just sporting a prosthetic left leg I also sport a prosthetic right arm from the shoulder down. I also have brown hair and forest green eyes, and quite a few scars both physically and mentally. I used the Navy to escape my past over 5 years ago and haven't looked back since, but now's not the time for that story. I am LCDR Henry Haddock, but my team just calls me..._

"Hiccup?" I hear as I look to my left.

 **3** **rd** **POV** :

"What's up Toothless?" asks Hiccup

"Are you ok man? It seems like you were in deep thought there." asks Toothless

"Yea I'm ok Toothless, I just have some things on my mind is all." he says

"You sure? I haven't seen you like this since you found out Fishlegs had been killed" he questions comfortingly. Hiccup looks down for a second "Thanks for the concern, but I'm fine Toothless really." Toothless doens't believe it but decides not to continue with it. "Ok bro, so what's this new assignment we've been given?" Hiccup seemed to contemplate it for a second before he answered, "well according to what the orders say, we are going to be on bodyguard duty for awhile." Toothless showed a look of confusion, but waits for Hiccup to continue. After about a minute of silence Toothless asks "that's it?" Now Hiccup looks at Toothless with confusion "well yea, what else did you expect?" Toothless looks at him a little dumbfounded "what do you mean what else do I expect? I expect some information on who were protecting, or at least who our target is." Hiccup looks at him sheepishly before he answers. "That's all the orders gave me to go on, trust me I don't like it either." Toothless ground his teeth and thought to himself _these damn higher ups are going to be the death of us._ "So that's all they gave us to go off of?" Hiccup nods his head and sighs "yea, I'm hoping we'll get some more information upon our arrival in Arendelle." Toothless decides to change the subject before he gets really furious. "so Hiccup are you planning to re-up?" Hiccup ponders on the question for a minute. "I don't know Toothless, I've seen so much these past five years...I just don't know. What about you?" Toothless also takes a minute to ponder the question before answering. "I'm in the same boat Hiccup, hell both of us have been almost killed on several different occasions and neither of us even have a family. I really just want to settle down, but this life is all I've know the past few years. Plus, I don't know what I would do without all of you guys. I can't go back to being ignored by everyone" he answers with a few tears in his eyes. As Toothless wipes his face Hiccup replies "hey, bud that's never going to happen as long as I still breathe." Hiccup offers his hand up like he's about to arm wrestle, but Toothless understands and grabs Hiccup's in the same fashion. "Brothers..." Toothless knowingly nods, wipes the tears from his eyes, and replies with a new vigor "...Brothers!"


	2. The Snow Queen

**Chapter 2: The Snow Queen**

 **Arendelle**

 **12MAY24 0742 HRS.**

 **3** **rd** **POV:**

"Anna? Are you awake yet?" the Snow Queen calls to her sister. A muffled reply of "just a minute" whispers through the door. A few seconds later the turn of a door knob alerts the Snow Queen of her sister entering the hall. Anna was dressed as any bridesmaid would be, in a simple white dress that would compliment the bride but not out show her. A friend of the two sisters, Sean "Olaf" Summers, had asked for Anna to be her bridesmaid. She also asked the lovely Snow Queen, Elsa, to provide the sermon for her and her husband. Of course, the sisters happily agreed to wed their best friend and even provided the castle's church as well as all the expenses. As the two sisters walked down the stairs to the main entry to their castle, Elsa took the time to reflect on how old fashioned Arendelle was when it came to architecture. The country itself looked like it belonged in an era just after the Middle Ages. However, while the town looked outdated the renovations on the buildings kept them up to date and looking as new as the day they were built. The country also had a pretty good infrastructure, while they didn't rely on trains, their roads rivaled that of the Autobahn in Germany. The roads themselves were well kept ans fit the traffic needs of the small country. The capital of Arendelle rested on a fjord that sat at the base of a steep mountain range. Most of the population chose to stay in the capital, but as is with any society, there were a few people who chose the nomadic way of life and moved beyond the mountains. Arendelle's military was a force to be reckoned with, for the simple fact that the country was so small and would need good protection if ever invaded. While the Arendellian Army was a notable force the navy was the back bone of the country's homeland security. Their navy rivaled that of many of the world superpowers, and in some cases was even called upon to aid NATO forces in the war on ISIS. Their navy made up for what the air force lacked on, since the county was surrounded by high mountain ranges there was no need for a huge air force. The airfield they had could safely house a small squadron of F-22 Raptors and a handful of F-35 Lightning Strikes. The airfield could only accommodate 1 C-130 for an extended period of time. As Elsa was reflecting on this she was thinking _maybe we should expand the airfield to accommodate some more larger aircraft._ Elsa was brought out of her musings by Anna when she began questioning her about the recent talks with American diplomats. "Elsa, what's the deal with all these discussions with American diplomats?" asked Anna curiously. Elsa paused then began "Well Anna, there's been whispers of growing ISIS supporters in some of the surrounding countries, and I fear that eventually may spread to here. I'm sure I don't need to remind you of the attack on the castle that could have killed us both." Both sisters paused for a second, getting chills before Anna spoke up again. "Good point, so what are we going to do about it?" Elsa stopped walking and turned to face her sister, "I've asked for NATO forces to keep eyes on their respective nations, and proposed that a NATO force be stationed here for a while to make sure what happened to us a few months ago doesn't happen again." Anna looked at her sister slightly confused, "well did you at least find out whose going to watching our backs?" "Yes, there's not much in their records except for their names, a photo, and a slight background on them. Apparently, they're a small elite SEAL team know for making the impossible...well possible" Elsa stated. Anna looked at her sister in awe, "You mean were getting a SEAL team? Like the guys who took that Osama guy?" Elsa smiled a little at her sisters enthusiasm, "well not that team exactly, this team goes by the name "Night Fury" but other than that I don't know much about them." "Wow so when do we meet them?" Anna asked excitedly. Elsa chuckled "well from what I understand they should be arriving today, but an exact time wasn't given to me." Elsa turned to continue toward the church when Anna stopped her, "Elsa...do you think their hot?" With a sigh and a slight chuckle she turned her head over her shoulder "I don't know Anna, but we'll see." With that the two sisters arrived at the church.

 **1100 HRS.**

 **Elsa POV:**

Standing at the Altar I notice the huge grin that threatens to split the face of Olaf. His optimistic attitude is contagious, and that's probably the reason so many people have gathered here today for him. I remember the first time I had to stand at this altar, but the conditions were very different.

 **Flashback:**

My hands are still shaking, and my knees feel so weak. I feel I might pass out on the spot, but that would look bad in front of all my people. My people, that term still hasn't quite settled with me yet. I mean, it feels like only yesterday I was wishing my parents a fun and safe voyage. Yet, here I stand less than 2 weeks from the accident that robbed me and my sister of our parents. I'm about to be put in charge of an entire country and at the age of 18 no less. I've never been so scared in my entire life. What if I mess up? What if I can't do this? Almost as if sensing my panic, the Arc Bishop Kai smiles at me with a soft smile. Whiles it's not enough to clear my fears, it does help me prepare myself for the rest of the coronation.

 **Present:**

I shake myself from my thoughts, and scan throughout the church at the crowd. About half way through the crowd I noticed five people I've never seen before. Almost immediately I realized they were not Arendelleians and that thought scared me to the core. _Were these the men that tried to kill me and my sister?_ I was broken from my thoughts by the tune of the piano that would announce Olfa's wife. I decided to proceed with the ceremony, but I'm going to be keeping my eyes on them for the time being.

 **Anna POV:**

I noticed my sisters gaze fall upon 5 men in the back of the church. These men were well blended into the crowd, but the sheer size and build of the suggested they didn't come from here. _Are they the guard detail my sister mentioned, or are they here for something more sinister? I'll have to keep my eyes on them till then end of the ceremony._ I began to carefully study them, right off the bat I could tell that they weren't Arendellian, The beards that 3 of them had were a dead give away, because Arendellian men don't grow facial hair. I could also tell by the look of them that they all had seen some things in their lives, but what I couldn't tell. _The blonde haired man is quite the looker I wonder...no Anna focus, they could be bad guys for all I know._ Sitting to the left of the blonde was a dark blonde haired man roughly about the same size. _I wonder if those two are brothers._ To his left was a dark haired man but the light in the church made it hard to tell whether or not it was dark brown or light. _I'm not quite sure what to think about him, but he would definitely pose a problem to our guard force if that arrived._ To his left was another man, but even with the light in the church you could tell that his hair was as black as the night sky itself. This man was also sporting a scar across his face from just above the left eye to the right side of his mouth. _That man seems extremely dangerous, maybe even on par with the man next to him._ The last person in their little group was a slightly smaller man but the posture in which he held himself screamed that he was someone important. _Why does it look like he's having an internal conversation with himself, is he even mentally stable?_ I caught my sister glance at me from the corner of my eye and I could instantly tell we had the same thought process. Before I could get another look though, the ceremony came to a close. When I glanced back from the couples kiss I noticed one of them had excused themselves. He disappeared without a trace, almost as if he was never there to begin with. I knew I had to talk to my sister immediately.

 **Elsa POV:**

At the very end of the ceremony I caught my sister's glace and knew exactly what she was trying to tell me. After the couple's kiss I announced that there would be a ball at the palace that would begin at 5 pm. With that I dismissed the crowd of people and made my way over to my sister. As if she knew what I wanted to speak about. We waited till the crowed all filed out, said our goodbye's to Kai, and proceeded to head to the other side of the castle to prepare for the ball. Anna instantly shot off with a question, "who were those guys?" I thought back to their appearances, " I don't know Anna, but there presence her wasn't unnoticed." Anna paused for a second as if she was thinking about something, "what about the one who just disappeared?" I did notice him slip himself out right before the last part of the ceremony, "I have taken care of it, I had Captain Stilles dispatch a man to follow him." As if on cue, a man came running up me and my sister. I waited patiently for him to catch his breath and once he did, "what can I do for you Sargent Renolds?" He quickly popped to attention, "my Queen, I followed the man who left earlier. It seems he has a room at the inn by the airfield, but that's not even the best part. My Queen, he wanted me to tell you that he will see you at the ball, and will discuss things then." I was baffled, and slightly pissed, the audacity of this man. "Thank you, Sargent. You're dismissed." With a quick salute he said, "thank you my Queen." I watched him leave, and turned to my sister. She looked at me and said, "well I don't think they're here to do us any harm." _What?!_ "What gives you that idea?" I asked her quizzically. With a slight smile, "Cause most people won't address themselves to the targets military or even make their presence know for that matter." I though about it for a second, and agreed with her, "well then it looks like we have some guests attending the ball, I guess we best go get ready. We have a ball to attend."

 **A/N: Next chapter the ball, and two different walks of life finally meet. The third chapter will be longer, and is currently being worked on. I will try to post a chapter a week depending on my schedule.**


	3. The Meeting

**Chapter 3- The Meeting**

 **Ballroom**

 **12MAY24—1730 HRS.**

 **3** **rd** **POV**

Elsa and Anna stood at the head of the ballroom watching the party in full swing. Anna looked over to her sister, "so Elsa…" She got a "Hmm" in reply, and took the silence as her queue to continue. "When do you think our "esteemed" guests will make our acquaintance?" Elsa frowned "Ah yes, I almost forgot they said they'd make an appearance. To answer your question though Anna, I really don't know." _Provided they're not here to kill us, I'm actually looking forward to meeting them,_ Elsa thought. "Yea, I'm looking forward to meeting them too." Elsa's head shot to her sister with a confused look. Anna chuckled "Elsa, I can see it written all over your face. Plus I'm your sister." With a sly look Anna continued, "And don't think I didn't see you eyeing the short brown haired one." Elsa looked at her sister incredulously, but before she could reply a man walked up. "Pardon me your majesties." Both women turned to look at the man in front of them.

He was dressed in a flawlessly pressed and clean all white uniform. On his left breast sat multiple rows of miniature medals, and almost mirroring it on the right was also multiple rows of ribbons. Above his medals rested a golden pin depicting an eagle holding a flintlock pistol and a trident. On each shoulder sat an identical black patch containing a thin golden bar above a slightly thicker golden bar. Held under his left arm was an oval hat with a black bill and a shielded crest in the middle. _It's no wonder why we didn't notice them, they look like everyone else here,_ Elsa though to herself. Anna's only though was _Wow._ Elsa quickly spoke up " Ah yes, greetings I am Queen Elsa," she gestured to her sister "and this is my sister Princess Anna." The man took no time to reply "pleasure to meet your acquaintance Queen Elsa and Princess Anna. I am Lieutenant Junior Grade Brandon Hill." Elsa gave a curt nod "nice to meet you Mister Hill, and might I inquire why you have decided to visit our kingdom?" Mister Hill looked confused for a second then chuckled "please your majesty, just call me Toothless. I can see our "fearless leader" has not made your acquaintance yet. Let me see if I can find him." Toothless put a finger to his throat and spoke "Fury Actual, Fury One, Come in." Another person responded "Fury One, Fury Three, He's a bit indisposed with some old friends at the moment." While this was going on the two women were looking at him like he was crazy. A loud laugh brought their attention back to him. "Copy Fury Three, So he's hanging with Punzie and Spitfire?" 'That's correct Toothless" "Roger, I'll pass that on to the Queen, thanks Iceman." Toothless turned back to the two women "I've located him, would you like me to escort you there?" Elsa shook her head "no just point me in the right direction. Toothless nodded and pointed to his right a bit. She gave a polite nod "thank you Toothless." "Come on Anna; let's go me the man I charge." Anna smiled; _I think I'm going to like these guys._

 **Hiccup POV**

I noticed Punzie and Merida, A.K.A Spitfire, quite down a bit and cast a quick glance over my shoulder. _I thought I heard someone walk up behind me._ I turn around and come face to face with the queen and her sister. There's an awkward silence, mostly with the queen looking me over head to toe and her sister just standing there with a grin plastered on her face. I decide to break the ice by introducing myself. "Good evening Princess Anna," I say giving her a small bow "and Queen Elsa." As I said that I placed a small kiss on the top of her right hand. When I looked up I noticed both sisters had different expressions. Princess Anna looked as if her excitement was just barely being held in, and I also noticed the small sly glance she casted at her sister. When my eyes rested on the queen I noticed she seemed to be shocked and even slightly….blushing? A small giggle from Punzie seemed to bring them out of their stupor, well at least Princess Anna. "Ah yes, nice to meet you Mister…" "Haddock" I chime in. "Right Mister Haddock, may I ask you a question?" I chuckle "well you just did." I hear giggles from both Punzie and Spitfire, the Princess and Queen seemed to find it funny too. At this point the queen decided to break her "vow of silence" and speak up. She smiles a bit "well Mister Haddock…" "Please your majesty, just Hiccup." "Ok, Hiccup, not to be rude but why are you here? You don't seem like one of Olaf's friends." I smile "Youre right your majesty, we're actually here for you…and you're sister." Both women look confused before Princess Anna speaks up again. "What do you mean here for us? And who's we?"

"My apologies," I said scratching the back of my head "let me introduce myself properly. I am Lieutenant Commander Henry Haddock. My team and I are part of your protection detail, and I can see you already met Toothless." Punzie decided to jump in at that moment "YOU BROUGHT TOOTHLESS TOO?!" I laugh as I rub my right ear "yes, though I prefer not to be deaf in that ear." She blushed a little then I continued "I'd offer to call him but I think the whole kingdom heard that." _I can't believe Toothless is so blind, anyone can see the crush she has on him. I just hope he realizes it before it's too late._ Anna took this moment of lapse to cut in "so Hiccup, how do you know Merida and Rapunzel?" At this point Merida decides to finally enter the conversation "his team helped remove ISIS cells from my country." "Mine too!" I feel a slight blush on my cheeks as the queen and princess look at me in astonishment.

 **Elsa POV**

 _Is he bushing?_ I stand by with my sister and watch as Rapunzel questions him "how have things been with you?" "Things have been going fairly well but…" he stopped for a moment "…we lost Rabbit." I see Rapunzel's hands fly to her face, and look to see Merida with a few tears in her eyes as well. _Rabbit?_ Not thinking I hear Anna ask "whose Rabbit?" A look of pain flashes across his face, and I shoot Anna a look saying 'nice'. He sighs "Rabbit was in my class at BUDS along with Toothless. The three of us had seen and done so much together, he was more of a family member to me than my own father…now the only family I have left is Toothless." My heart skips a beat. _Does that mean he's single? If not, what happened to his family? And what did he mean about his father? Hiccup is indeed a mystery….one that I would like to solve._ I speak up "what do you mean 'Toothless is all you have left', you don't have a wife or girlfriend?" As soon as I asked that question, I wish I hadn't. The look on his face was enough to tell me that was a sore subject, luckily Merida jumped to my rescue. "Say Hiccup, why don't we get Toothless over here so Punzie can swoon over him." "WHAT?!" He cracks a smile and nods in a playful manner. "Sure, I'll give him a call right now." He goes to touch the microphone on his neck when "HICCUP, DON'T YOU DARE! PUSH THAT BUTTON AND EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE TO ISIS WILL PALE IN COMPARISON TO WHAT I'LL DO TO YOU!" she said blushing furiously. Hiccup just laughed and moved his hand away from the microphone. _He's so lighthearted; you would never believe that he's an elite killing machine._ I must have been smiling, because everyone looked at me. I could feel another blush rising to my cheeks and I slightly looked away. I see him smile again _I love his smile_ the I see his eyes dart to the left a ways. What he says next confuses me…

"No way…"


	4. A New Development

**Chapter 4- A New Development**

 **Ballroom**

 **12MAY24—1815 HRS.**

 **Anna POV**

"No way" I hear Hiccup lightly say. I look to Elsa with a confused look, one that she returned right back. I look back to Hiccup and notice him walking away from the group. Once more I look to Elsa "what was that all about?" She just shrugs "let's go find out." Our little group follows Hiccup a little ways, till he stops abruptly behind someone. I notice the man and the group he's with. Just like Hiccup they seem different from everyone else here, they hold themselves much like Hiccup and Toothless. Out of nowhere Hiccup speaks to the man whose still facing away from him. "Well, well, well, Snowflake; what are you doing here?"

The man perks up for a second then he almost whispers "I only know one bloody American who calls me that" at that moment he turns around "Hiccup!" Hiccup just laughs and embraces the man. Now that I have a better look at him I can see the finer details. Said man stands roughly Hiccup's height, but that's where the similarities stop. The first noticeable thing about him is his bright white hair, it looks like he dove head first into a paint bucket. He also seems really pale, but not like a 'sickly looking' pale; more like a 'needs to get out more' pale. I notice him glance at me and I see the bluest eyes I've ever seen. They remind me of sapphire stones that one would find on an expensive necklace.

At this point I tune back into the conversation as Hiccup introduces the mysterious man. "Ladies, I would like you all to meet Jackson Overland, or as we call him "Jack Frost. He's a part of the British SAS." _British? Isn't Hiccup American?_ "Hi" I speak up, and immediately hear Elsa "Hello." Merida stay quiet and Rapunzel just nods a hello. "Ello" he speaks with a British accent. I notice that the group of people he was with have dispersed now to give us some room to talk. "So Jack…." "Hold up, If he's British and your American, how do you two know each other?" I interject. Hiccup laughs and looks at Jack "do you want to tell them or should I?" _Tell us what?_ "You should mate, you're the better story teller" he says with a laugh. "Alright, Jack here was an exchange student in my college while I was going through. The two of us are rather intelligent, and graduated early from our 'high schools' for an early college education. After college we stayed in touch, and I found out he enlisted and put in a package for the British SAS. I immediately let him know that I also had enlisted and put in a package for the SEALs. After that neither one of us heard from the other for about a year, it was at that point our 'jobs' reunited us, but on a battlefield instead of a class room. I can't go into details, but it was a joint operation that lasted the span of roughly two years. We've been in contact as much as our careers will let's us be ever since. So now that that's done Jack, you still haven't answered my question."

I notice Jack's face lose any semblance of the smile it once held, and I knew it would be bad news from here on out. "Well Hiccup, since this regards both of your charges here I'll fill you in on the basics now." Hiccup nods, while Elsa and myself slightly lean in to show our attentiveness. "My team, The Guardians, have been sent to deal with a high value target that both of us know all too well." I see hiccup think for a second "who are we talking about here, neither one of our teams have many 'friends'" "Jason Roland" I notice Hiccup's eyes go wide "no way, I thought he was killed in the Osama raid." "So did we, but recent intel has picked him up in the area around Arendelle, and he seems to have taken an interest in the queen. It's also been reported that he's working with Drago." I see anger flash through Hiccup's eyes, before he suppresses it "Drago. I'm going to kill that son of a bitch for what he did to Rabbit." "Get in line mate, we still owe him one for Ghost." Jack says with a bit of pain in his eyes. Hiccup's head drops a little "so he got Ghost too? How's his family?" "We treat them like our own." "Well than Jack, looks like we've got ourselves another joint operation" Hiccup says with a chuckle. "Seems that way my friend" he says with a smile. At this point Elsa cuts in "Wait a minute, who's Jason Roland and what does he want with us?" Jack looks at Hiccup, and he just nods "Jason Roland, aka Pitch Black, is a world renowned terrorist who wants nothing more than to watch the world burn. The reason he's set his eyes on Arendelle is because the location of your country puts him in strategic position to hit not only the American east coast, but also most of western Europe. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants, which is where our teams come in." Hiccup glances at me then looks deep into my sister's eyes "I will protect you…" he then looks back to me once more "…both of you." _I think there's a bit more than duty causing him to want to protect us, and I think she's standing right next to me._

 **Elsa POV**

I noticed Hiccup's gaze linger on me the longest and lock eyes with me. The whole time he was looking at me I was mesmerized by his magnificent forest green eyes. _I want to know more about Hiccup, even become friends with him…possibly something more._ It was at this point that someone tapped me on the shoulder, and I had to repress a jump and scream. I turned to face Toothless and the rest of his unidentified group. "Your majesty, what do you say we give the old friends some room to discuss the finer details." I simply just nod my head. "Excellent, Kristoff" I notice a blonde haired man stepped up next to Toothless "take the boys, and treat these lovely ladies to a dance. I need to have a word with the queen." He responded with a smile "sure thing sir" then turned to the other two men "you heard him boys, let's show these ladies a good time." "Right" the other two replied. Kristoff reached his arm out to escort my sister and she gladly accepted. "Oh, and Kristof…" "Sir?" "actually spend some time dancing, God knows you two spent enough time just staring at each other." He said with a laugh. I noticed my sister blush bright red, and then look to Kristof. He too had a tint of pink on his cheeks "R-right sir, you got it. Shall we princess?" With that the group of eight was down to just two "Elsa, mind if we take a walk to the gardens?" "Not at all Toothless" with that we made the roughly two minute walk through the crowd to the garden.

We arrive at a bench and he gestures for me to have a set, but he remains standing. "Toothless?" I ask a little confused. "Elsa, do you like him?" I look at him confused "what?" "I see the way you look at him, and the way he looks at you. So I'll ask again, do you like Hiccup?" _Do I? I mean we only just met, but at the same time I've never felt this way about someone. My heart beats fast whenever he's near, and every time I look into his eyes I find myself lost. Could it work for us though? I'm the leader of a country and he's an elite solider that could die any day._ That last though made my heart lurch and almost stop. It was right there I knew my answer "y-yes, I do Toothless." He smiled sweetly at me "good, that was the answer I was expecting to hear." His face became down trodden quickly after that. "Elsa, let me offer some advice about him though. Hiccup, by far, has had the hardest life I've ever seen. He's seen and done things most of us would have nightmares about, he grew up with no family, and most of the friends he had now rest in Arlington, Virginia. The few people you see on the team are all he has left, and he'll never admit it but if something happened to us….I feel he wouldn't allow himself to live with that. I'm not going to tell you about his past, because those are not my stories to tell. The reason I tell you this is so that when the time comes you'll be understanding. I've watched him risk his life on far too many missions far too many times, so I ask you, please give him a reason to live for his country…not die for it." I simply nodded my head, while I process everything he just told me.

At the conclusion of our conversation Toothless escorted me back to the ballroom. I walked in to notice the party had dwindle considerably, and I looked at my watch _9:30 pm already?! Wow the time really flew._ As I scanned the room I notice the only groups still here were The Guardians, Rapunzel, Merida, and obviously Hiccup's. Toothless looked at his watch as well "Elsa I think it's about time we wrapped this shin dig up" he said with a chuckle. "I'm going to go grab the boys and Hiccup and retire for the night." Before he goes and idea dawns on me "wait, Toothless where are you guys staying?" He stopped and turned to me "we're staying at an inn about five minutes from the airfield, why?" "Well I would like you guys to stay here in the castle with my sister and me. I mean you are our protection detail, and plus it would be nice to have some company here. The Guardians are welcome to stay as well if you would like to inform them." I saw him smile "that would be wonderful Elsa; I'll inform Hiccup and Jack. For tonight we will station a detail like we originally planned, then tomorrow at dawn we'll move our gear over here. Sound good?" _Damn, I was hoping to start my plan to get to know Hiccup tonight._ "Sounds excellent Toothless, what time should I tell the guards to be expecting you?" He thought for a second "will 0530 work for you, I would rather move our gear under the cover of darkness so that anyone watching can't figure out our capabilities." I giggle "you boys sure start early, but I guess the early bird gets the worm." He laughs "yea it sure does. Ok, I'll be posting Kristof and Meathead here for the night. I'll go inform them now, and I will see you at breakfast Elsa" he says with a wave. I wave back then go to the girls to fill them in on the plan.

 _Tomorrow and the next coming months are going to be very interesting._


	5. Operation Shell-Breaker

**Chapter 5- Operation Shell-breaker**

 **Castle**

 **17MAY24—0630 HRS.**

 **Elsa POV**

I find myself unable to sleep because I can't stop thinking about what Toothless told me about Hiccup. _How is he able to stay so positive if he's been through all that? Or is that all just a façade he puts up in front of others? If that's the case then what's the REAL Hiccup like?_ My alarm alerts me that it's now 6:45 am. I haven't seen hide nor hair of Hiccup since that night in the ballroom. I figure that if I get up and catch him after his work out, I may be able to sit and talk with him. I hurry and get dressed in my light blue 'Snow Queen' dress, as Anna dubs it, and head down stairs to grab some breakfast. It was close to 7:15 when I finished my breakfast and bused the plate to the kitchen. As I was putting them in the small dish washer, I noticed the sound of a door opening and closing. _That must be Hiccup. Good now we can have a little chat._ I turn to go back to the dining room when I see him come through the kitchen door. He's wearing a black Under Armor long sleeve that REALLY shows off the definition in his chest. He's also wearing a pair of beige cargo pants, a pair of black tactical gloves, brown military boots, and a desert camo ballcap. _OH MY LORD. HE'S SCUPLTED FROM MARBLE AND CHISLED BY A GOD._

 **Hiccup POV**

I shut the door to the gardens behind me and turn down my Breaking Benjamin playlist while grabbing an apple from the bowl by the door. As I pass through the door to the kitchen from the dining room, I come face to face with Queen Elsa. _What is she staring at?_ I give myself a once over just to be safe then ask "uh your majesty, not to be rude but why are you staring at me?" I notice her blush "oh, uh, I-I was just caught off guard is all." _Uh-huh 'caught off guard'._ "So Hiccup how was your work out?" she asks with still a slight tinge of pink on her cheeks. "It was good your maj…" "Please Hiccup, just Elsa is fine" she says with a smile. "Uh, ok, your maj.." She gives me a slightly playful glare. "Right, Elsa. As I was saying, it was good; It's nice to be able to run under such peaceful conditions. The views make it quite pleasant as well." I go to grab a bowl and some cereal, and see Elsa shuffle to the side to let me pass. "Uh Hiccup?" "Yes Elsa?" She's blushing once more. _Man she's cute when she's blushing. Wait a minute Hiccup she's your charge and a queen, what could she possibly see in a monster like you? Plus it'd only hurt her to be involved with me._ I see her expecting something akin to an answer "I'm sorry Elsa what was that?" She giggles a little "I said, do you mind if I join you for breakfast." _Well wasn't expecting that_ "Oh, uh, sure" I say with a smile.

I pull the remaining ear bud from my ear, grab my bowl of cereal, and make my way to the dining room table. I hear Elsa following behind in a comfortable silence then take a seat next to me. I can see she's eager to ask questions, not many of which I'm sure I'm willing to answer. "Ok Elsa, I can see you're in a questioning mood so I'll answer a FEW questions." I repress a sigh when she smiles and asks her first one. "OK! So what's it like being a SEAL?" "Well it's definitely life changing. I've pushed my body to limits I never knew it had, and sometimes even beyond that. I've helped a lot of people…and hurt a lot too." I said as I think back a few missions ago. I must have spaced for a second, because I notice Elsa giving me a strange look. "Anyway, next question." "Ok, where are you from?" "A little town in upstate New York called Berk. I try not to think about Berk too much so I won't answer anymore questions about that." "Fair enough, were you ever married?" "No" _I hate thinking back on this but it might sedate her pestering if I answer fully._ "I was engaged though, however, it didn't work out. I broke it off when I came home from a long mission, and found her in bed with some Scottish prick from her college. Funny part is; she tried to blame me for walking in on them, then tried to tell me that she couldn't handle the 'pain of separation' and that he was there to comfort her. Needless to say, I haven't seen her since." Looks like my answer did what I was expecting it to, because I noticed her face fall and all she could say was "oh." We sat in silence for a moment before I decided to take my leave. "Well Elsa, it was nice to have this chat but I'm afraid I must be going. I have to shower still and then plan escape routes out of the castle should we ever have to evacuate you." She simply nods and continues to sit there with a blank look on her face. With that I stand up, nod my head, and say "enjoy the rest of your day Elsa." As I walk out of the dining room I pass Anna and offer a curt "good morning" which she returns. After that I continue on with my day.

 **Anna POV**

I rolled out of bed around 8 and changed into some relaxing clothes. After a minute of doing my hair I made my way down to the dining room for breakfast. I figured Elsa was already up since she's always up before me. She usually meets me at the table with breakfast already ordered from our staff. What I didn't expect was for Hiccup to come strolling out of the dining room this late in the morning. Usually he's gone before even Elsa arrives, and not usually seen till long after dinner on his way to his room. _Hell, even his men and The Guardians make a point to eat breakfast with us every so often. Hiccup is a strange one isn't he? Annnd now I'm talking to myself, great._ After my greeting with Hiccup and the conversation in my head, I entered the dining room and was yet again surprised by the change in routine. Elsa was just sitting there as if she was thinking about something. Its apparent something was is troubling her since she didn't even notice me sit right next to her. _And I feel it has something to do with the man who just walked out._ "Elsa?" She breaks from her trance and looks to me "oh Anna, I didn't hear you come in, I'm sorry." "Sis, what's got you so troubled?" She looks at me and in her eyes I can she she's hurting but from what I'm not sure. "I spoke to Hiccup today, ya know in an effort to get to know him better, and he told me a few things." She paused for a second too long "And?" I asked to get her to continue.

She starts with a sigh "he told me what it was like to be a SEAL, but I feel that he's not telling me everything." "Well I'm sure there's a lot he can't talk about" _or chooses not to for whatever reason._ "I'm sure all of the guys here have stories that they'd rather not speak of." She nodded slightly "I'm sure you're right, but his answer still felt so…vague." _Hmmm I wonder what he's hiding._ "Hmm, well did he say anything else?" "Yea, he told me a little about where he's from, but again he was really vague. This time it seemed like he really didn't want to even remember, almost as if his home life was worse than his current one. When he told me that he got this far away look in his eyes, like he was remembering something upsetting." All I could say was "oh." She continued "that's not even the worst part. He also told me he was engaged…" I gasp "Elsa, I'm sorry….wait, did you say was?" She nodded and shed a few tears "he said he caught her cheating on him…then tried to blame him for it." "That's horrible!" "I know, and I think that's why he's not very trusting of anyone but his team." _Well that would make sense._ All of a sudden we hear a voice that sounds very familiar to me. "So he told you that much already huh?" I turned around to face Kristoff and feel a blush spread to my cheeks. He continues "well he seems to see something in you Elsa, but I think he's just too scared to let it show right now. However, I think I might be able to fill in the gaps that he left in the conversation you had earlier." He smiles sheepishly "just don't tell him, he might kill me…slowly. And I wouldn't even wish that on my worst enemy." He laughs at the same time Elsa and I do. "If you follow me to my room we'll continue this there."

 **Kristoff POV**

We conclude the walk to my room and upon my entry I gesture to the seats by the desk. Both girls quietly walk to the seats and sit. "I'm going to provide details to all three answers with one story. Just so you know, it's not a happy one nor is it short, but it will provide you with the answers you want. Let's begin shall we?"

 _ **Flashback**_

 _It's only my second mission with the team, but I already feel like they're family. LTJG Haddock is our team leader, and even though he's still kind of green behind the ears the others on the team will follow him without question. He's a man that needs not to demand respect, because he's already earned it from his men. He's gained mine as well, he promised me that I'd make it home alive and I did; even at the cost of his own safety. His long time friend ENS Tony 'Fishlegs' Ingerman has been with Hiccup since the beginning._

 _The two of them enlisted together after the two finished their expedited college programs. The two came in at the ripe age of 19 as nothing but a couple of scrawny toothpicks. I don't know what possessed them to join with a SPECWAR contract, but the payout was well worth the cost to them. After the hellish year of training and several missions later, some of which advanced them in rank, led us to this point._

 _I don't know much about the team before I joined them, but I do know that they're a well oiled machine and have never lost a man. That last part makes me excited but also a bit nervous, because eventually the luck has to run out._

 _ **Flashback Break**_

I can't help but look down and sigh "little did I know how right I was." The girls didn't say a word and just waited for me to continue. I could see the curiosity in their eyes, but also apprehension.

 _ **Flashback Continues**_

 _We were gearing up for our current mission. 'The mission is to infiltrate a cargo ship off the coast of Somalia that is suspected to be carrying military grade nuclear weapons. It's feared that these weapons may be used against US forces in the Middle East if sold to the wrong person. Our objective is to sneak in under the cover of darkness, plant charges on the ship, infiltrate the nearby camp and gather any intel possible, then make or exfil and scuttle the ship to the depths of Davy Jones. Any questions?' Fishlegs scanned the room after the brief, but before he could pass the floor off to Hiccup; one of the other new guys, whose name I didn't catch, spoke up. 'Actually sir, are there any side objectives for this mission?' Hiccup stepped up this time 'I got this Fishlegs.' He nodded 'Actually Irish, new intel received this morning states that an ISIS HVT has used this camp as a prior hideout. He's involved with several bombings at airports in Europe, as well as, the attempted bombing of the Louver in Paris. Secondary objective is to eliminate him and photograph the body. If possible bring the body with us to extraction. This objective only applies if the safety of the team and the main objective won't be compromised in the process. Any other questions?' Hiccup scanned the room and when no more questions came he went into the plan of attack._

 _ **24MAY20—2053 HRS.**_

 _ **C-130 Over Bendali Port—18954 FT.**_

 _I look around as everyone is readying their parachutes and checking gear one last time. I do one more once over of Irish's gear. He's carrying a Scar-SH with a 1x holographic sight, flashlight attachment, a modified heavy barrel, suppressor and a foregrip. On his hip sits a Beretta M9 along with a small tactical flashlight. His combat knife is stored just over his left shoulder for ease of access, and his pack contains some MREs, a small sleeping kit, a camelback, and some basic medical supplies. His kit, much like mine, is the standard for this mission with the only exception being Doc and Hiccup. Each of us brandishes our own specific weapon; I personally am a fan of the G36C with a 1x holographic sight and a magnifier, IR flashlight, suppressor, and an undermount M203 grenade launcher._

 _I am broken from my musings when the red light at the end of the ramp lights up. Hiccup walks over and lowers the door. After a few seconds he holds up five fingers and then begins to count down. After his last finger goes down he signals to the stack leader to initiate the jump. I watch them begin jumping one by one, and as I get closer to the ramp I can feel my heart beating hard in my chest. This is by far the best adrenaline rush ever experienced, and with that last though I walk off the ramp into the darkness with Hiccup right behind me. We freefall for what feels like forever, all the while watching our wrist worn altimeters. When the altimeter hits 1200 we all pull our chutes. However, Doc's primary was tangled in his secondary and failed to open. I reach out to grab him, but just missed his hand and he shoots passed me. I go to cut my chute when I notice Hiccup blow passed me in a attempt to get Doc. I notice them get closer and closer to the ground and feel this is then end for my best friend, and possibly Hiccup too. Suddenly, I notice a parachute deploy and feel slightly relieved until I notice their altitude._ _They may not be able to slow down in time_ _. I see the two of them hit the landing field pretty hard. I narrow my body in an attempt to descend faster to check on them._

 _ **Flashback Break**_

I sigh "that was one of the scariest jumps I have ever seen. After that Hiccup has made it mandatory that everyone pack their own chute." I looked up to see Anna just staring at me wide eyed, and Elsa just had a blank expression. Anna spoke up "this mission seems off to a bad start and it's barely even started." I look down and nod "yea, and that's not even the worst to come." Elsa finds her voice "y-you mean to tell me it gets worse than that?" I simply just nod again "let me continue on and you'll see what I mean."

 _ **Flashback Continues**_

 _I land first with Meathead and Fishlegs hot on my trail. I immediately run over to the two 'Sven, Hiccup, you guys ok?!' I heard a groan and feel slightly relieved 'ugh, from now on I'm packing my own chutes. Kristoff, that you?' I pull the chute from over them and see Sven attached by a climbing clip to Hiccup's harness. Sven looks to be pretty cut up, but doesn't seem to be too bad off._ _I don't know if the same can be said for Hiccup, he seems to have taken the brunt of the fall._ _I hear Fishlegs run up while Meathead lands and regroups the rest of the team. Fishlegs looks at me then Sven 'Doc, how's Hiccup looking?' Out of nowhere Hiccup speaks up 'I'm fine Fishlegs.' He goes to sit up but winces when he puts weight on his left hand 'well except for a broken hand.' He somehow finds a way to joke about what just happened and just laughs it off._

 _ **Flashback Break**_

Anna cut me short "HOLD UP! You mean to tell me that Sven and Hiccup not only walked away from that little mishap, but also found a way to joke about it?!" "Well yea, in our line of work you kind of have to." Anna seemed kind of pissed with that response, and I just kind of laugh sheepishly. Elsa just kept unnaturally quiet, but I could see a hint of something in her eyes; not quite sure what though. "So Anna, any more questions?" I ask with a slight nervous laugh. _This is one girl I really don't want to piss off._ She glares at me and shakes her head, so I continue on.

 _ **Flashback Continues**_

 _After helping Hiccup up and getting Doc's cuts taken care of we proceeded on with the mission. The plan is for me and Hiccup to infiltrate the ship and plant the C4, while Fishlegs takes the rest of the team to the village. 'Alright guys, maintain radio silence. Only vital comms should be passed.' With that final word Hiccup turned to me 'let's go.' I nod and we turn and make our way toward the docks about half a click away. I take one last glance over my shoulder to see the others begin moving toward the village. 'Sir?...' 'Hiccup will do Kristoff' he says without looking back. 'Aren't you nervous? Ya know about Fishlegs taking the team, or being stuck with just a new guy?' I hear him chuckle quietly 'it's ok to be nervous Kristoff, I know I was my first few missions. As for Fishlegs, there's no better man for the job than him. I've known him longer than I've known my own parents.' Confusion hits me when he says that last statement, but he just continues on as if he never said it. 'And taking you with me doesn't make me nervous either.' Now I'm perplexed 'it doesn't?' He laughs a little 'No, I can tell by looking at you that know what it means to be part of this team. And for that I have no problem calling you my brother.' I can't help but feel shocked and even slightly…excited._ _He trusts me like that already?_ _All of a sudden we see the ship ahead 'alright Kristoff, switch to night vision. We're going in using hand signals, maintain silence at all costs.' 'Roger.'_

 _ **Flashback Break**_

"Ok ladies, I'm going to take a break from telling the story for a second. I have to go check up on the guys. I'm also going to make a head call and stop in the kitchen for a drink, would either of you like one?" Both girls just shake their heads "alright right then, give me about ten minutes."

 **Anna POV**

"Wow Elsa, who knew Hiccup was such a badass?" I laugh we she turns to face me "he sure is, and ya know what?" "Hmm?" "That might be why he always wears gloves, because his hands are tore up from his exploits." Realization dawns on me "hey, maybe you're right. Think he has any other cool scars or stories?" I say with a smile. I see her face fall "something tells me this story is not as 'cool' as you'd like to think." _Huh?_ "What makes you say that?" She maintains the frown she's wearing "well for example, have you noticed we've yet to meet this 'Fishlegs' guy? I think something might have happened to him." "What? Elsa stop being so negative, he's probably home with his lover or something." She smiles a bit "yea, maybe you're right." I give her a small sly grin "and here we are listening to stories about YOUR lover." She instantly blushes tomato red "w-what? Anna, what are you talking about?" I'm laughing so hard I almost fall off the chair "hahaha y- haha your face says it all." I say as I wipe a few tears from my eyes. She pouts for a moment then smirks a little "oh yea, well YOUR lover is telling us the story." I instantly go wide eyed "w-what? I-Imean…" Now she's laughing _damnit she always knows how to shut me up. UGH._ "Fine you win this round" I say as we both share in a bit more laughter. At that moment Kristoff walked back in _damn that was a fast ten minutes._ I see Elsa thinking the same thing. We turn and face him once more as he shuts the door.

 **Kristoff POV**

As I walk back in I wee the girls laughing and I crack a smile. "What's got you guys laughing so hard?" Both girls look at each other then back to me "nothing." I give them a skeptical look that says 'yea, ok.' I go and sit back in the chair I was in earlier and pop the top on my Dr. Pepper. "I also brought 2 waters if you girls would like them." Elsa spoke up "we're ok for now but thank you." "Ok, I'll just put them on the desk in case you want them. Anyway let's get back to the story; where was I?" Anna jumped in "you we're at the part where the team had just split up, and you and Hiccup were about to take out the ship." "Ah, right."

 _ **Flashback Continues**_

 _We are almost to the objective and have encountered no resistance._ _As if he read my thoughts Hiccup spoke quietly 'I don't like this, we haven't seen hide nor hair of a guard the entire way here. This feels wrong.' 'I know, something definitely doesn't feel right.' 'Fuck it, let's just get the charges planted and get the hell out of here, before the situation changes.' 'Yea.' We made it the last few p-ways still not seeing a single enemy. We saw our objective straight ahead when Hiccup whispered once more 'ok, cover me I'll get these charges set centerline on the hull and we'll be outta here.' I turned and face the door 'on it now, go.' A few minutes later he tapped me on the shoulder 'let's move.' I began back the way we came and after some time we made it back to the ship's brow. All of a sudden I heard a static sound in my earpiece and broken up comms. '(static)co….I….say again…fi….assis(static)' Hiccup interjects 'say again. Fishlesgs?' He got no reply. 'Meathead?' Still nothing. 'Fuck, we have to move NOW!' He takes off in a dead sprint toward the village, and I immediately take off after him. 'Hiccup, what's the plan of attack?' I say while dodging tree branches and vines. 'That is the plan..attack.' After a 15 minute run we could see the village crest the hill._

 _We arrived on the enemy's left flank, and could instantly distinguish which building the others were in. The enemy had set up a PKP machine gun up in a second story window across from the building, and was providing suppressing fire to the doorway. Seeing the opportunity to take the machine gunner out I tossed a grenade up into the window, and 3 seconds later the nest was destroyed. 'Nice, Kristoff, now let's go clear that building and ease the fire on the others.' Without hesitation I made my way into the machine gunners building with Hiccup right on my six. We popped the first room and I dropped to a knee to take out the tango closest to us, while Hiccup remained standing and took out the two shooting through the window. Once, we had established cover Hiccup tried the radio once more 'Fishlegs? You there?' After a moment we heard a reply 'yea…I'm here' Hiccup wasted no time 'we're in the building to your immediate south so watch your fire. What's your status?' After a brief pause we hear 'we're running low on rounds, Meathead's been hit and….Irish is gone.' That last statement hit us hard; I could see Hiccup grit his teeth. 'Fuck, we're not losing anyone else today. Let's move Kristoff.' 'Fishlegs, continue to lay down fire on these guys, we're going to progress further along and thin their lines.' 'Roger.'_

 _As we make our way through the small two story house and on to the next one we begin clearing out the place. Once that building is cleared we stacked up on the side door of the next house. Hiccup nods to me so I stepped out in front of the door and took a step to kick it in. Unfortunately when I did that a tango opened the door and instantly noticed me. Before I could get my muzzle on him he had already shot two rounds into my left shoulder and knocked me on my back. I looked up and was staring down the muzzle of his AK-47._ _Wow, this is how I'm going to die? I'd always thought I'd get to marry a nice girl and settle down somewhere, but I guess God has other plans for me._ _However, Hiccup must have intervened because I heard a round go wizzing passed my head rather than through it. When I looked up I saw Hiccup smash the man's gun into his face, and use the man's disorientation to grab his knife and insert it into the tango's neck. I instantly pulled my M9 and started taking out the tangos on the room in front of me. I dropped two before Hiccup grabbed me and pulled me behind cover. 'I'll go clear the room and give you the go to enter. Grab some med gear from your pack and get some gauze on that wound.' 'But Hiccup..' 'No buts, you'll be no good to be if you bleed out and it's not beneficial to take that room with just an M9.' I tried once more to speak 'The decision is FINAL.' With those words said he entered the room._

 _As I patched myself up, I heard several AKs go off and I could also make out the faint sound of a suppressed M416. After almost 15 grueling seconds all the noise inside stopped, and no call to enter came. 'Hiccup?' After stripping the rounds from my SCAR, I prepped myself to enter and take the room with my M9. Right before I could however, two taps came from the other side of the wall followed by the word 'Babe.' Instant relief washed over me as I replied with 'Ruth' and entered the room. When I entered I noticed the five guys scattered throughout the room. Several were sporting multiple bullet holes, and one even had Hiccup's carbon fiber knife sticking out of his neck. Hiccup was also sporting a few slash wounds that could be seen bleeding through his fatigues. He looked at me 'you good to go?' I instantly replied 'yea…guna need one hell of a massage to get rid of these knots once I heal though.' We both shared a small laugh and stacked up on the next room's door. 'This next room leads to a door that opens to a large pasture, once we clear this I'll radio for an evac and some air support.' 'Copy.' This time Hiccup busted the door in with a mule kick. The room was pretty easy to breach and clear, only two tangos were inside and were easily dealt with. Just as Hiccup said the room was bare except for a back door._

 _I watched out the window for any enemies to progress from further up the street. 'Hiccup, the others seem to have the attention of the rest of them. We should have no problem for a moment.' He nodded to me 'Right.' Then began to speak into his radio 'Alpha, Fury Actual, Come in.' 'We read you Fury Actual, what the fucks going on down there? It looks like a shit show.' 'Long story Alpha, I'm going to need immediate air support and evac.' 'Roger Fury Actual, two A-10s on station now, callsign Nightmare. I'm patching you through.' 'Nightmare, Fury Actual, you read me?' 'Nightmare here, you're Lima Charlie Fury Actual. On standby for strafing run.' 'Roger Nightmare, we've got a massive group Northwest of our pos and friendlies on both sides of the street. Danger close. I say again…danger close.' 'Roger Fury Actual, get your heads down and give us a minute to mop up.' 'You hear that Fishlegs?' 'Yea Hiccup.' I begin to hear the sound of a jet engine in the distance, then almost a split second later I hear a loud buzzing noise. Quickly after that the whine of a jet engine wizzing by is heard, and then….nothing._

 _Hiccup decided to use the lull in battle to regroup the rest of the team. 'Fishlegs.' 'Go Hiccup.' 'Quickly cross the street and enter the building to your south. Regroup on me while those guys circle around to make another pass.' 'Roger.' About three minutes later the team was regrouped in our building with Sven carrying Irish. The poor guy took a round to the head below the helmet line. I turned back to the window and continued scanning the street for more enemies. About a minute later another strafing run was heard, then a voice passed over the radio 'Fury Actual, Nightmare.' 'Go for Fury Actual.' 'We're being taken off station. A group of Marines are in over their heads and requesting support.' 'Roger Nightmare, thanks for the assist. When we make it out of this I owe you guys a drink.' 'I'm going to hold you to that Hiccup.' 'I know Thuggery, now go help out those Jarheads.' With that the radio went silent once more._

 _ **Flashback Break**_

I look back from the window and see Elsa just sitting there processing what I've told her so far. Anna however, looked at me with tears in her eyes and hands over her mouth. She whispered something that I didn't quite catch "what was that Anna?" She moved her hands and spoke a little louder "y-you w-were shot?" _Oh, I wonder why that's so upsetting to her._ "Yea, one went clean through and the other hit my shoulder blade and lodged itself there." "How many times?" I look at her shocked "what?" "How many times were you shot?" I stop to think for a second "Well I've been injured in battle a few times, not all of them are bullet wounds." She looked at me almost timidly "m-may I see?" Again she shocked me "what?" Tears threatening to spill once more "c-can I see your wounds….please." "Uh….sure."

 **Elsa POV**

 _Anna, what the hell?!_ I look over at my sister to scold her, but one look in her eyes stops me in my tracks. Her eyes are reflecting so much hurt…and dare I say…love? As I look back over to Kristoff taking off his shirt I begin to think about Hiccup's scars. Toothless's words come flooding back to me in an instant. _Kristoff seems a bit more open about his scars than Hiccup. Does that mean that Hiccup has been through worse?_ A gasp from Anna breaks me from my musings and directs my attention toward Kristoff. I can't help but gasp as well, especially when I notice the three small dot sized scars close to his heart. As expected the two on his left shoulder are there, and there's also a couple of decent length scars running across his chest and back. A few tears slip down Anna's cheek and I can even feel some welling up in my eyes. _It must be hard for Anna to see someone like this, especially someone it's obvious she cares about. Would I have the same reaction if it was Hiccup standing in front of us? I have to ask about Hiccup._ "Kristoff?" "Yes, Elsa?" "Is Hiccup that covered in scars as well?" I see him sigh and look down "actually Elsa, Hiccup is far worse off than most of us. Even Toothless. The guy has been to hell and lived to tell the tale. He's got a lot of scars and not just all physically. Most of his emotional one's are courtesy of that mother fucker Pitch Black." His face expressed the deep hatred for the man, and his eyes were showing a fire I can tell few have seen and lived to tell about. He continued "That son of a bitch took so much from Hiccup and in turn the team. He's hurt my brother and for that the man will pay dearly." His face softened "I'm sorry about that little rant; that's no way to speak in front of ladies." After recovering from my little shock I assured him it was ok. Anna was far too busy now ogling the poor shirtless man in front of her. I giggle at her _she's so obvious about it._ He speaks up once again "anyway let me redress…" "NO!" Anna blurted out. When she realized she did that she tried to save herself "I-I mean it is pretty hot in here. I'm sweating, I can't imagine how you feel sitting in the sun over there." If he knew she was lying he didn't show it, but I did _pssh, nice try Anna._ With that he sat back in his chair and continued on with the story.

 **Kristoff POV**

 _ **Flashback Continue**_

 _We're all taking a short breath in the room before breaching the door. Since we have no idea what's on the other side, Hiccup has us all take stock of what ammo and equipment we have left. The results are far from good news, with only a few of us having a full magazine left. Fishlegs took my magazine and discarded SCAR since I can't raise my left arm to fire it anyway. Sven picked up a discarded AK figuring ammo would be in good supply, but it looks as if these guys were counting their rounds too. He only managed to scrape up two magazines worth of AK ammo. We were determined to bring Irish along with us, so I was to fireman carry Irish to the LZ. 'Ok' Hiccup spoke 'I'm going to take a peek outside. I haven't heard any noise since Nightmare's run and that worries me a little. Once I give the ok we'll move to the back of the field along the tree line and wait for cover.' We all just gave him a nod and kept quite. Hiccup reached out slowly and turned the handle of the door. With a resounding click it slowly made its way open courtesy of a slight push from Hiccup. With his M416 down range he scanned the field as he continued to push the door open._

 _A couple of agonizing seconds later an 'all clear' reverberated from outside. Once the call was made we all grabbed our little bit of gear and made our way into the field. Upon leaving the house I notice the field had little to offer in the terms of cover, so being spotted was defiantly a bad thing. However, there were a few hay bales that seemed pretty thick and the grass had to be a good 6 or 7 inches._ _I guess if need be would could crawl to the tree line, but that would take far too long._ _Said tree line was roughly half a mile from our current location, and it too seemed to be sparsely populated._ _Still a better option in the event a firefight does break out. It seems the strafing run did the job though._ _Many bodies littered the field; several we're even torn completely in half by the 30mm cannon from the A-10s._ _I'll admit, I have never seen carnage as gruesome as this._

 _Once Hiccup deemed the area safe we began toward the tree line. Nobody ran for fear of making too much noise, however, that didn't stop us from still being quick on our feet. About half way through the field, I heard a strange sound; one that seemed to be getting louder and drawing near. At first I couldn't place it, at least not until I saw two lights accompanying the sound. I resounded quickly with 'TRUCK!' but by then it was already too late. We all heard the screech of its tires and watched as several men jumped from the vehicle. 'BEHIND THE BALES, NOW!' Hiccup yelled as we all made for the closest hay bale. Fire instantly began raining down on us from the road. Myself, Hiccup, and Fishlegs took cover behind a bal while Sven and Meathead jumped behind another._

 _We returned fire, but only if we were sure we could stop someone…or drop them. All of a sudden over the radio we heard the voice of our saviors. 'Night Fury, Come in Night Fury.' Hiccup instantly hit his mic 'Fury Actual, Go.' 'This is Valkyre 1-6, we heard you guys could use some help. We have a 3 minute ETA, how copy?' 'I copy Valkyre, but I suggest you cut that time. We are low on rounds and pinned by enemy fire.' 'Copy Fury, I read you. We're doing our best to get there. Till then hunker down and stay safe.' 'Roger Valkyre.' Hiccup yelled to us over the gun fire. 'You heard em boys, we got three minutes of Hell then were home free.' He then turned to me 'Set him down. If we have to move we won't be able to take him with us.' That upset me but I understood where he was coming from, so I set Irish down respectfully and began to put rounds downrange._

 _About a minute into the gun battle I noticed the hay bales were starting to shred apart. 'Hiccup, our cover is diminishing rapidly.' He took note of it and quickly scanned around us. The enemy was making a heavy flanking maneuver from the tree line._ _This is a real shit show._ _'Listen up, there's a small rock wall at our six, approximately 50 yards from our pos. If we turn and haul ass we might make it, but be wary of that tree line. I'm not sure how far the enemy has made it through. On my signal men.' I could feel my heart racing in my chest. I don't know if this will be the last time I see my brothers, but I'm sure as hell glad I got the opportunity to meet them._

 _Then the word came down from Hiccup….'MOVE!' That was all I needed to hear before I was off like a horse at the races. I kept my eyes on the rock wall, while the whole time I could hear rounds flying passed my body. At one point I could actually feel the heat of one that almost took my head off._ _I'm not going to die here! There's still too much to live for and these bastards are not going to rb me of that!'_ _Before I knew it I was over the rockwall thanking God for letting me live through that. As I looked left and right I also saw that I was the first one to make it. I immediately glanced over the rock wall, pointed my M9 downrange, and began providing covering fire from my position. A couple of seconds later Meathead was over the wall with Sven right on his tail. Following my lead they also began to put rounds to the enemy. Hiccup and Fishlegs weren't very far behind._

 _Suddenly, time seemed to slow down as I watched Hiccup take a bullet to the right calf. He hit the ground about 15 yards from the wall. Fishlegs registered it quickly and turned back to help him. He swung Hiccup's arm over his shoulder and assisted him back to the wall. About 5 yards from the wall however, Fishlegs took a round to the back and stumbled. I went to grab them but was suppressed by enemy fire. When FIshlegs was about 2 yards from the wall he took another three rounds to the center of the back. He gasped out in pain as the bullets hit him, splattering blood all over Hiccup's face, and draining him of most of his energy. Fishlegs wasn't finished though, with his last remaining strength he tossed Hiccup over the wall and into safety. He fell to his knees just on the other side of the wall and started to fall forward. Foregoing the enemy fire I popped up, grabbed Fishlegs, and pulled him over the wall to us. 'Doc! Doc, get over hear Fishlegs is in bad shape.' I lean Fishlegs up against the wall and continue to lay my last remaining few shots downrange._

 _After my last three shots are expended, I turned to Doc and Hiccup to see if I could lend a hand. However, I can see that Doc is having trouble dealing with all of his injuries._ _Oh no._ _I hear Hiccup talking to Fishlegs across from me. 'Valkyre, where are you?! We need immeadiate MEDVAC, NOW!' 'We're still a minute out Fury. I'm doing what I can to get there.'_ _Shit he's losing blood fast!_ _I see Hiccup turn to Fishlegs, while I put pressure on a couple of his wounds. Hiccup begins speaking to FIshlegs 'Don't you give up on me. DO YOU HEAR?!' Fishlegs groans 'Hiccup…I don't know…if…I'm going…t-to make it out….of this one buddy.' Suddenly we heard a faint sound of a helicopter in the distance. Hiccup speaks with tears in his eyes 'hear that Fish? They're coming for us; you gotta stay strong. Come on man, you can't give up, not when supposed to marry Ruff. Think about you're little girl. SHE NEEDS TO KNOW HER FATHER!' Fishlegs just smiles and coughs up a little blood. 'H-Hiccup…(cough)….I want you to look after…her for me…(cough)…tell her…(cough)…what kind of man….I was…a-and…(cough)…tell Ruff I'm…s-sorry.' Hiccup's tears now run free 'I…I promise Fish.' With that Fishlegs smiled and drew his last breath._

 _ **Flashback Ends**_

 **3rd POV**

Both girls are frozen on their chairs with hand over their mouths and tears in their eyes. Kristoff continued with a down trodden look "the helicopters arrived shortly after that and mopped up the remaining enemies. Then we rounded up Irish and Fishlegs and made our way back stateside. Hiccup didn't say a word to anyone till he passed the flag off to Fishleg's wife. Even then all he could say was sorry, and the worst part of it all? The town blamed Hiccup for his death, so much so his own father told him never to return." Anna jumped in with tears in her eyes "that's horrible! How could someone do that to their own son?!" " Trust me Anna, if you ever met this man you would see that Hiccup is better off without him." Elsa found the courage to speak "s-so Hiccup has no place to call home?" Kristoff nodded "yea, outside of whatever base he's stationed at, that is. To be honest, this was going to be his last assignment before he decided to call it quits. That's the case for most of us actually. I myself was thinking about settling down after all this was over, not sure where yet though." Anna blushed a bit "well, you know that Arendelle is quite peaceful. Having people of your stature here would also be beneficial. Don't you agree sis?" Anna looks to Elsa, who instantly perks up "absolutely! Actually once you retire I'd be more than happy to offer citizenship to any of you who wanted to live here."

Kristoff smiled "that's good to hear. Heck, maybe I'll run the idea by Hiccup and see if he wants to stay too. He did mention not going back to Berk when he retires, maybe he'll be open to it." Elsa attempts to hide her smile, but doesn't know she's been caught by her sister. _Looks like Elsa's happy to hear that. Blackmail here I come._ Anna deviously smiles to herself, while Kristoff just looks on in amusement. _Heh, I just wish Hiccup would open up a bit more and go back to the way things used to be._ He steals a glance at Elsa _Maybe she can do what the rest of us have failed at._ A chime from the clock brings the group out of their thoughts. Kristoff glances at the clock then speaks up "wow, 2100 already? Where did the time go? Anyway ladies I believe it's time I racked out." Elsa replied "yes, I do think it's time we let you be." Elsa nudges her sister and the two stand. She then continues "Good evening Kristoff and thank you for your time." Elsa opens the door and ushers her sister through when Kristoff replies "good evening to you as well and any time Elsa." With their greetings concluded, Elsa shut the door, bid her sister a good evening, and headed to her room. She doubted she'd get any sleep tonight as Kristoff's story weighed on her mind. She had a lot to think about.


	6. The Hidden Self

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait loyal followers. Unfortunately, my old computer had moved on to a better place, and went where all good computers go. Needless to say, I took it hard and found it difficult to move on. However, one night she came to me in my dreams and told me to move on, and that I had people depending on me to finish my works. So, with a renewed vigor, I went out searching for a computer that could be as good as the one that had just moved on. After countless days of nothing and despair digging at my poor lonely soul; I had finally found her. Now, after a motivating PM form Eragonfan33, I'm back with a quick mind and even quicker fingers, so without further ado here's a long overdue chapter with more to come shortly.**

 **Chapter 6—The Hidden Self**

 **Castle**

 **24MAY24—1200 HRS.**

 **Kristoff POV**

We were wrapping up our little gathering in the music room. Lunch was almost over and most of us wanted to catch it before it was too late. It was the anniversary of Fishlegs death, and just like every year the team gathered to reminisce about the good times. We washed down our sorrows with Miller Lite, which just happened to be his choice of beer. Hiccup, as usual, kept to himself today. Sure he would gather with us, but he never told any of his stories or really even paid us any mind. We can all tell he feels guilty for his friends death even if it wasn't his fault, no matter how many time we tell him otherwise. I notice the other guys get up to leave and I follow. I take one last glance to Hiccup and ask him if he'd like to join us, but he just shakes his head and continues looking at the ground. As I shut the door I bump into none other than Elsa.

 **Elsa POV**

I was literally knocked out of my thoughts when I bumped into someone. I looked up a little to see Kristoff coming out of the music room. He quickly apologized to me and went to continue on his way when I stopped him. "Kristoff?" He turned to face me "yes Elsa?" "Might I ask what you were doing in the music room? Do you play an instrument?" He laughed a little "no, the team was just having a gathering." I smiled "oh, might I inquire as to why?" His face dropped "we were honoring Fishlegs' memory." I instantly dropped my smile and could only reply with "oh."

"Yea, it always brings Hiccup down. I hate leaving him to his thoughts like this, but he never opens up to us; at least about Fishlegs." Then his face light up like a firework. "I have a great idea, why don't you try to talk to him?" I look at him shocked "me? Why me?" He continued to smile at me "well he's opened up to you before, maybe he will again." My mind can't seem to form a coherent thought, but I try to reply anyway. "B-but, I don't even know how to start. I can't just walk in there and be like 'hey Hiccup, wanna talk about your dead friend?'" He thought for a second then smiled once more. "Well why not bring him some lunch? He's obviously not going to eat with us, and I'm sure he's going to get hungry." He left me without a thing to say. With a smirk he just turned and walked away throwing a wave over his shoulder.

It was about 30 minutes later when I came back to the music room and opened the door. As soon as I did I heard the faint sound of a violin playing. I rounded the corner and saw Hiccup sitting with his back to me and said violin on his shoulder. I was so entranced that I could only stop and listen. As I listened I heard him begin to sing.

 _We went out for beer and a couple laughs._

 _Knowing full well that every last joke that Jimmy told,_

 _Might be his last._

 _So we laughed like the world wasn't at war,_

 _Said things to him we'd never said before._

 _And he teared up as he held up his glass;_

 _He said, boys, if I don't make it back_

 _Have a beer for me, don't waste no tears on me._

 _On Friday night sit on the visitors side,_

 _And cheer for the home team._

 _Drive my Camaro, 90 miles an hour down Red Rock Road;_

 _With born to run blastin' on the radio._

 _And find someone good enough for Amy,_

 _Who will love her like I would have;_

 _If I don't make it back._

 _We said, hey, man that ain't gonna happen,_

 _Don't even think like that;_

 _If we know you, you'll pull through without a scratch._

 _He pulled me aside in the parking lot;_

 _Said, Amy and me are gonna tie the knot_

 _You're my best man, just wanted you to know that_

 _Just in case, I don't make it back_

 _Have a beer for me, don't waste no tears on me._

 _On Friday night sit on the visitors side,_

 _And cheer for the home team._

 _Drive my Camaro, 90 miles an hour down Red Rock Road;_

 _With born to run blastin' on the radio._

 _And find someone good enough for Amy,_

 _Who will love her like I would have;_

 _If I don't make it back._

 _If the good Lord calls me home_

 _I'd like to think my friends_

 _Will think about me when I'm gone._

He stopped singing and just continued to play the violin, while he prepared his next verse. I didn't need to see his face to know that he was shedding tears, since I myself was about to begin weeping like a child. I took this moment to slip into the room and grab a chair not far from him. I could hear the song take a melancholy turn as I sat down, and once I did Hiccup began once again.

 _Well, Miller Lite ain't my brand_

 _But I drink one every now and then, in his honor_

 _And we ain't missed a home game yet_

 _Had that Camero at 110 on Red Rock Road,_

 _When the speakers blowed._

 _And I introduced Amy to a friend of mine from Monroe,_

 _He's a good ol' boy_

 _But you know…she just ain't ready._

I just sat there at the end of his song, my voice all but lost to me, as I listened to his muffled sniffle. After a minute or so of not being able to put my thoughts into words, I simply decided the best course of action was to embrace him. As soon as I made contact with his back I felt him stiffen and freeze. "That was beautiful" I say with some tears still running down my face. I heard him speak "y-you heard that?" I simply just nod while still hugging him. I let him go and he turned to face me. "I'm sorry for using your music room without permission, I'll take my leave." Before he could get even two steps I stopped him and grabbed his wrist "…wait…" He stopped but didn't turn around again or even lift his gaze from the floor. I decided to continue on "please Hiccup, open up to me. I know that you're a 'tough as nails' SEAL, but you're also only human. If you keep bottling everything up you're going to end up a mental wreck, then you might be the one someone is singing about."

I let go of his wrist, and he just stood there staring at the floor for a good amount of time. Finally he spoke up, almost as if he was whispering "Elsa…aside from the guys on the team…there is no one left to sing about me. That honor was killed with the bullet that took Fishleg's life." I was stunned, 'so this is the side of himself that he hides from the world.' Then next words I spoke seemed to just fly out of my mouth as if they had a mind of their own. "I would sing for you." As soon as I spoke those words my hands flew to my mouth and my gaze to the floor. He went silent for a moment, which gave me time to my thoughts. The more I thought about what I said I noticed that I did mean what I said, but I didn't have much time to ponder on it. I noticed his feet shuffle at the top of my vision, letting me know he turned around.

 **Hiccup POV**

"W-what?" was the only thing I could utter. I could see her steel her resolve as she stared into my eyes. "That's right! I would sing for you and shed so many tears it could fill a river!" As I stared into her eyes I began to feel the hope I had so long ago when things were happier. I had to ask though, to make sure that my hope, and feelings, weren't misplaced. "But why?" She seemed hesitant to answer, but the next words she spoke made me wish I hadn't even asked. "Because you're my friend silly." _Ouch, I just got friendzoned by the only other girl I've even looked at since Astrid._ I did my best to hide the pain I was feeling, and I seemed to be successful in that endeavor.

I was about to excuse myself when Toothless came bursting in "Hiccup, we might have a problem." Instantly Toothless had my undivided attention "What's going on?" He took no time to fill me in "a van has passed by a few times carrying roughly seven men. A guard noticed the van stop not far from the gate for a few minutes then continue on. This has been going on for about 15 minutes. I've sent Kristoff and Sven to the gate to provide assistance if need be, but I suggest we put the castle on alert, sir." I look to Elsa then back to Toothless "you're absolutely right. You have your radio on you?" "Of course." I extend my hand out and he quickly responds by placing the radio in it. "Iceman, you with doc?" "Yea Reaper, I got him. What's up?" "Keep sight of that van, and keep your heads low. I'm taking Devil to OP Bravo, while Terminator takes the family to Sanctuary." "Roger Reaper" I hand the radio back to Toothless then turn back to Elsa. I heard Toothless call Meathead over the radio to round up Anna and meet up with us in the ballroom. "Elsa we need to move, we're going to regroup with Meathead and Anna in the ballroom. From there you will be escorted somewhere safe till this blows over." "Okay." With that we make our way to the ballroom.

Roughly 10 minutes later I'm sitting on the roof with Toothless beside me as we scan the area around the gate. I was just about to radio down to the other two when Toothless spoke up "I got em. 200 yards from the gate on the right side of the street, blue van, I count seven inside, passenger appears to be armed." "Got it Toothless." I speak into my throat mic "got that down there you two?" "Lima Charlie, we pulled the gate guard back. He'd only get in the way with that little nine mil of his." I heard him chuckle over the radio, and suppress a laugh myself before I got serious again. "Alright boys, hunker down, looks like we have some counter surveillance to do here." I hear a couple of 'Alrights' then cut radio communication. _It's going to be a long night._

Finally a few hours later around sunset the van did something out of its usual routine. I hear Kristoff come over the radio "you seeing this Reaper?" "I see it, continue to monitor the situation, and be ready in case things get hairy." The van this time stopped in the middle of a now desolate street that led to the gate. I heard Toothless speak up while looking through his spotter scope "Hic' I don't like this. It don't feel right." "I hear you Too…" before I could finish the van began to accelerate toward the gate. Instantly I aimed down my scope in an attempt to predict the vans track. After about 2 or 3 seconds I had it figured, and lined my sights up to the spot where the driver was going to be for the bullet to make contact. A second later I squeezed the trigger, and quickly rechambered a new round to prepare for the next shot. As soon as the bullet made contact with the driver the van took a sharp turn into the wall alongside the gate.

Without hesitation several armed men stepped out with Ak-47s and baklavas covering their faces. I immediately heard the sounds of gunfire coming from both sides of the gate, which told me that Kristoff and Doc had engaged. I took no time in lining up my next shot and dropping one more. It was at this time the OPFOR figured out I was sniping at them and took cover from my view behind the wrecked van. Seeing that sniping was no longer an option, I grabbed my M416 and Toothless and began rappelling down the wall to go assist Kristoff and Sven.

As we neared the gate the sounds of gunfire got louder, and now voices were distinguishable. I decided on the fly that Toothless and I were going to attempt to flank the OPFOR. I radioed to Kristoff to let him know "Iceman, Reaper and Devil moving in for a flank at your 9." "Roger Reaper, were still….." a high pitched wiz was heard through his mic along with a impact sound "…FUCK, I'm hit." Having forgot to shut his mic off I could hear the commotion in the background. "Doc, get cover. Fucking hell this hurts, ah…." I tune out the rest as we take out position along the fence line with sight on the last two remaining tangos. "Toothless let's wrap this shit up, we need to check on Kristoff." "Got ya Hiccup." "And where the fuck is the Arendellian police or even the castle's response team?!"

From the fence line Toothless managed to drop one of the tangos, and instantly the other, know his position was compromised, pulled a device from his pocket. Toothless, having a better view, called out one of the last things we wanted to hear. "DETONATOR!" Fearing the worst, I lined up a shot through the back window of the van on the tango's head. Without hesitation I pulled the trigger and watched the body fall lifeless to the concrete.

After the last tango was dropped, I left Toothless on station while I moved to the gate entrance. Upon my arrival there I could see Doc helping Kristoff up off the ground. It was at this time that the reaction force had arrived and began securing the area. "Too little, too late now." I heard Doc mumble next to me. "It seems that some training evolutions are needed for these guys. We will have to discuss that with the queen." I speak into my radio "Area secured by Arendellian reaction force members. All team members regroup on me in Queen Elsa's office for a debrief. And Meathead, escort both sister there as well." A chorus of "roger" rang out over the headsets.

Roughly thirty minutes later, after all our gear was restowed, we met in Elsa's office to discuss security protocols and inform the two sisters what happened. Upon our initial entry both the queen and princess were in there along with Meathead and some Arendellian guards. Anna was quick to notice Kristoff's condition and voice her concern. "OH MY GOD! Kristoff are you alright?" She ran up close to him but didn't touch him in fear of causing him pain. He replied "not really, they ruined my favorite under armor shirt." We could all see the humor there, but it was obvious Anna was not amused. "I'm kidding, I'm fine. Really." He offered a thumbs up a along with a smile, but she was still upset with him for his "joke."

Once the "love birds" were done I cleared my throat to get the conversation back on topic. "Queen Elsa, from the information I've gathered, these men appeared to be ISIS supporters. All of them appeared to be of different backgrounds as well. I did a little more digging and came across some disturbing news…"

 **Elsa POV**

"…there's a price on your head. Not just yours but your sisters also, and they appear to be separate from each other." _W-What? Why is there a price on my head, unless….but I don't see what that has to do with Anna. He seems to have more to say, depending on what he says I may just have to reveal my greatest secret._ "It seems that word had gotten to extremist supporters in your country, however, I feel that the price may have been set on the two of you by someone outside their ranks." "What makes you say that?" He continued on "I was able to track the originating locations of the contracts, but I was unable to narrow it down to any specific individual. The two that did this obviously know what they're doing." I halt him for a second "wait, did you say two?"

He simply nodded then continued on "I was able to track the first contract to a small island chain off the coast of Italy by the name of Sud Isole, which when translated means Southern Isles." I gasped and looked to Anna fearfully. She was looking right back in astonishment and slight fear, only one person from there would do something like this. "Prince Hans" I blurted out without thinking. Hiccup just looked at me strangely and said "come again?" I proceeded to fill him in with a quick story of the prince who tried to marry my sister then have me killed off so that he could rule as a king.

I looked at me thoughtfully "very well, that would give him a motive and a means. Now all I have to do is locate the man who picked up the contract and eliminate him first. Till then we will have to be on high alert." He looked to my sister then turned to Kristoff "Kristoff since your shoulder is in a sling, you will be the princess's personal security detail. I'm sure you know what this entail, as well as the rules of engagement should her life be threatened." He nodded his head once with a look made of stone on his face. I piped in slightly confused "wait, not to be rude, but isn't he injured? Shouldn't somebody who's not hurt be with her?" He just smiled an laughed a little "no need to worry, Kristoff is the best ambidextrous shooter on the team. He can draw a nine as fast with his left hand as he can with his right."

His face turned serious once more "I also managed to track a location for the other contract, but with no motive of suspect to base off of there's nothing we can do except beef up security and attempt to track down this person to put an end to these contracts once and for all." I attempted to cut in and ask him the location of my contract, but he didn't notice my attempted intrusion. "Till then I will be pairing Toothless with you as your security detail. He will be with you day and night, and the same ROE apply." Toothless solemly nodded his head and looked to me, but I just stared back looking confused. _Wouldn't the guy who supposedly had feelings for me pair me with himself?_ As if knowing what I was thinking Toothless shot me a look saying 'we'll talk about it later.'

I missed some of Hiccup's speech while in my musings, so when he brought the floor down for questions I took no time to ask mine. "Hiccup, where exactly did you track my contract to?" He wore a look that said 'oh right, almost forgot.' "I managed to locate a city not far from here actually. The place was called…" But I wasn't prepared for what he said next.

"Wesselton and is located in the northern part of Sweden." Instantly my face scowled while anger boiled in my blood. He caught the reaction and posed a question. "Someone you know there?" I took a minute to cool myself off before I answered that question. "Yes, an old trade partner who we severed ties with when we found a few of his men spying on the royal palace during a visit. What really set me off though, is when I confronted him he attempted to blackmail me by using my secret to try and get his way. In return I threatened to have him executed for treason against Arendelle, and that I would slander his name to my allies if he tried to tell anyone anything." I saw his face become curious and, if by instinct, I knew what he was going to ask next. "I know what you're going to ask, so I'll beat you to it. The only reason I didn't tell you sooner is because I didn't know how you'd react but…"

"…I kind of…have…ice powers."


	7. This Changes Things

**Chapter 7—This Changes Things**

 **Castle**

 **24MAY24—2117 HRS.**

 **Elsa POV**

I looked down the instant I spoke those words fearing the look on everyone's faces. _Anna already knows, but how will the rest of them take it?_ I heard a few moments of silence before speaking again. "I know what you guys are thinking. You're thinking 'she's a monster'…." I was cut off by Kristoff "Whoa, whoa, whoa. We don't think you're a monster." I then heard Toothless cut in "Yea, you're doing to us what you don't want done to you. You're judging us before you even let us speak." It was at this point the person whose opinion mattered most spoke up. "Elsa, you're not a monster. Trust me when I say that there are people in this world who are truly monsters. The things we've seen and done would put people like us in that category. Those like the people who are after you are monsters, they have no regard for the lives of anyone. The majority of people in this room will agree with me on that one. I am however, hurt that you left this information out when you sat down with us and had our brief. Had I known this when we first met, then we'd know more about the kind of people we're dealing with."

I couldn't help but feel slightly ashamed because I knew he was right. I looked to Anna, but she seemed to be thinking the same thing I was. Hiccup continued on after a moment of thinking. "These men will do anything to achieve what they want to complete, which in this case is to kill the both of you." He began to unblouse his left boot as he continued "I fear what may happen to the two of you should they manage to capture you, but I know that it won't be pleasant." Once he was done with his boot laces he slid the boot off and rolled the pant leg up. What greeted Anna and I was something neither of us was ready for. "This is what happens when you refuse to give into their demands. When you choose to be strong, they choose to break you."

There gleaming in the light was a completely robotic prosthetic continuing on from just below his knee. It looked to be made of solid black metal and even appeared to be connected to his actual nervous system unlike typical prosthetics. I could only gasp and cover my mouth. He then pulled his shirt from his pants and continued on. "They've taken something from all of us, which is where our deep distaste for these combatants comes from." As he pulled his long sleeve under armor shirt over his head my mind went blank. I could hear Anna begin to sob next to me, and I could even feel tears streaking down my cheeks. Staring from his midsection were scars of all lengths and sizes. Some looked like knife wounds while others looked like bullet wounds. There were some however, that looked like neither and in fact looked as if they were inflicted as a means of torture. On his left pectoral was a dark brand saying "infidel" and appeared to have been done several times.

What really stood out though was another gleaming piece of metal, only this time much bigger. This prosthetic started in the middle of his right pectoral and continued outwards replacing the whole right shoulder and arm. This one appeared to be made the same way the leg prosthetic was made. The only difference this time was that the base for this one seemed to be attached to the ribs for support. I lifted my gaze to his face once more as he continued on "I'm not showing you guys this to scare you. I just want you to realize what's at stake if you're not completely honest with us." Without thinking I spoke out one question "h-how?"

I instantly regretted even opening my mouth as I saw him zone out and his face contort with pain. He quickly shook it off and looked at me with distant lifeless eyes. "I was in their 'care' for about two weeks and refused to give in to their demands of revealing our mission parameters and any other pertinent intelligence. While there they committed heinous acts as you can see on my body. In one final attempt to get the US government to relent, they positioned me in front of a live broadcast to all news stations and had me recite my name, rank, branch, and ID number. They then wanted me to read their demands and once again I refused. It was at that point the hacked off my leg with a machete. It wasn't long after when finally Toothless led a team to rescue me."

The air in the room had turned solemn at the start of his story, but now it held an air that was indescribable. It left a feeling of emptiness in my very soul, and I could even feel my powers making the room cold. "That's all I have to say about that, now do you understand why that information is critical? These guys may want to use you as a lab rat to try and enhance their 'soldiers'. It also puts your sister in more risk as well, they'll use her to get to you." The sound of the door opening diverted all our attention.

 **Hiccup POV**

I looked to Toothless and shot him a look. He easily knew what I was thinking and shot a look back saying 'yea, I know'. Elsa seemed to know the so called intruder and addressed him accordingly. "Ah Kai, what seems to be the urgency? I recall telling everyone to not disturb us." The servant bowed "apologies my queen, but the guards found this video among the wreckage outside. Oddly though, it's not addressed to you your majesty." Instantly confusion ran over all of our faces. It was Kristoff who decided to ask the question. "Well, who's it addressed to then?" The servant seemed annoyed that he was addressed so casually, but continued on anyway. "It's actually for you Mister Haddock." _Fuck I hate being called that!_ "Please, just Hiccup. Mister Haddock was my father and I'm actually not fond of either of those titles for him." "My apologies Hiccup."

I walked across the room to the servant and retrieved said box. _This is odd, it's a fairly thick little thing. Almost like a small safe box, and while it doesn't feel too heavy it does have some weight to it._ "I think its best you guys find some solid cover and get behind it. Instantly everyone's faces went fearful. Some for their lives, and others for the lives of everyone in the room. Anna broke the restless silence "w-what do you mean? What's in the box" "Honestly, there's no telling, I'm just doing this as a safety precaution." "But Hiccup, what if it actually is a bomb or something?" My dark sarcastic and dry humorous side tried to lighten the mood. "Well, at least I'll be going out with a bang." As I guessed, nobody in the room found it funny but reluctantly did as I asked.

After a minute of two I took one last look around the room, not only to make sure everyone was safe, but also to get on last look at things if I did in fact disappear from this world. With a small sigh I flipped the latch on the little black box. With my eyes peacefully closed I slowly opened the little black box and….

 **A/N: I normally don't use cliff hangers, but there are just some chapters that need a little suspense building. What's going to happen? Who knows? Could Hiccup's time finally be up? Or is something much worse on the horizon? Only time will tell. Good news though, is that the next chapter should be up in the next couple of days. I've also began brainstorming ideas for my next story. If you guys have any suggestions, or story ideas you'd like to see written then send me a pm with the story plot, characters involved and descriptions, and parings. I'll do my best to stay as close to the story you want to read, while keeping it original. I'll be posting a poll in one of my future chapters to decide the next story I'll write. Till next time "fair winds and following seas" my fellow fanatics.**


	8. Insight

**Chapter 8—Insight**

 **Castle**

 **24MAY24—2145 HRS.**

 **Elsa POV**

I heard the click of the lock and the squeak of the lid as if it was groaning. After a minute a much needed "all clear" was sounded; to which we came out from our hiding spots. Curiosity got the better of me and forced a little extra speed into my step as I made my way to Hiccup. Upon looking in the box I noticed two small discs and a fired bullet. The look on Hiccup's face told me that whatever this meant was not good.

Toothless was the first to speak up "Hiccup what is that?" Hiccup seemed a little unsure himself, but the stare he was giving the bullet told a different story. "I'm not sure Toothless, but I think it's time we stop stalling and find out. He walked over to the TV I had sitting up on the wall and inserted the disc into the side.

The first thing to pop up on the screen was a man dressed in all black. He was sporting a chest length beard, dull lifeless eyes, and a mop of black hair. What scared me the most was the evil smile he was wearing. It could give the Joker a run for his money, and that's saying something. His skin had almost a greyish tint to it as if the man hadn't seen the sun in a long time. When he decided to speak his guttural voice only said one phrase. He said "hello Hiccup" and the smile seemed to stretch across his face from ear to ear.

Hiccup, along with the rest of the men, seemed to recognize this strange man who only addressed himself as 'Pitch'. A look at their faces told me that was not a good thing. So I posed my question, and Hiccup paused the video. "Hiccup, who's this Pitch character?" Hiccup pondered it for a second before replying. "He's a high ranking terrorist leader with suspicion that he may be the man overall in charge. He works with a rouge CIA operative who goes by the name Drago. These men are ruthless and will stop at nothing to get what they want. We've been hunting them for years alongside the British SAS. Remember the other group of people you met at your party?" He didn't wait for a response before continuing. "Well those men are here trying to gather intel on that man. He was rumored to be working in this region, but nothing had been confirmed…until now anyway."

He seemed like something else was on his mind, like there was something he's not telling me. _I'll have to ask him about it later._ Without hesitation he continued the video, and 'Pitch' once again began speaking. "In case you didn't notice the welcoming party I sent you, then let this be my official message. Welcome Hiccup, you and the rest of your insignificant team should enjoy your stay in Arendelle, while it still stands that is." A creepy laugh filled the air as he said that last statement. Hiccup only growled in response as Pitch continued. "But alas, you guys are not the apple of my eye this time around. In fact I've set my eyes on your little girlfriend there." Even with the severity of the message I couldn't help but blush a little. "Queen Elsa, you and your sister will become mine once I am finished with that little group of misfits you have protecting you."

I looked to Anna and could see the fear in her eyes, the same fear I know my eyes were reflecting. Instantly Hiccup paused the video and I looked to him. "Don't worry Elsa, I'm not going to let anything happen to you." I saw his eyes dart passed me, and I decided to look in that direction. I could see Anna wrapped up in Kristoff's arms as Hiccup just chuckled. "Seems like Anna is going to be just fine too." The atmosphere took a slightly softer air, and I could feel the fear slowly dissipate from me. "Let's see what else this monster has to say. Who knows maybe it'll give us some details as to where he is, then we could just cut off the head of the snake."

With a nod from Anna and myself, he continued on with the video. Another voice seemed to ring out in the video. This one though, had a thick accent almost as if he worked on a farm or ranch. Slowly the camera panned out a slight bit and revealed another man just as sinister as the first. This man had a thick black beard that went down to the middle of his chest. Accompanying the beard were many scars jutting all across his face, along with a missing left eye. The most significant thing was the fact that the man had no right arm, and seemed to be taken off at the shoulder. Once again the room took a sour air as all the men once again began scowling. Hiccup only uttered one word "Drago."

Once the mystery man was identified, the video was continued. Drago began to speak now "Hiccup….Hiccup…..Hiccup. I bet right now you're comforting the two ladies, saying things like 'I'll protect you' and 'you're in safe hands'. We'll lemme give you a heads up 'ladies' this man couldn't protect you from a paper cut. Hell, he couldn't even protect his only true friend." I glanced to Hiccup and noticed that seemed to sting him a bit. Not thinking I reached over and laced his hand in mine, and with a gentle squeeze I provided some much needed assurance. At first he stiffened up, but shortly relented and gave a gentle squeeze back. The returned affection made me blush, and I think I even saw a slight tint on his cheeks.

I had drowned out most of Drago's attempt to make the guys 'relive' the battle. When I finally brought my attention back to the video it seemed to be wrapping up. Drago made one last attempt to jibe at Hiccup. "Oh and Hiccup before I forget, how's the leg? Still get nightmares from those lovely 'playdates' we had?" _What? This is the man who took Hiccup's leg?!_ I could see that there was some truth behind his words, and I could instantly feel the anger boil up inside me. Once again I could see the sting in his eyes, but I could also see something else there…was it fear?

Wait, what did he mean by playdates? I'll have to ask Hiccup later when we have some time alone. I could see the reference had taken a few people for a loop, it seems like only a select few know what happened to him in that time there. Once again I spaced out on what the video was saying and by the time I zoned back in it was over. I noticed the solemn air take over the room as it filled with an eerie silence. Shortly after Hiccup went into his "commander mode" as I dubbed it. He began issuing orders to his men to fortify the hole in the wall left by their last exploit. He also began ordering them to prepare their gear should another attack take place soon.

After a few minutes of that taking place he made his way over to me. "Elsa, I need to ask your permission for something." For a moment I was confused but responded anyway "sure Hiccup, what do you need?" "I want to train some of your more trustworthy men. We are going to need the extra support to help us. There is only a hand full of us and an army of them, I don't like those odds and want to even them." "That's a brilliant idea Hiccup, would you like me to compile a list of people?" "That's alright Elsa, I actually have been observing your men and have a few I would like to choose from. With your permission of course." "Alright, Hiccup I'll let you decide then." He seemed happy with that answer and continued on "I would like to begin training as soon as all preparations are made to fortify the castle." I was expecting that "absolutely Hiccup, but how long do you expect the preparations to take?" He thought on it for a moment "well in light of recent events, it should only take two weeks at the max to repair and fortify the walls. It will take roughly a month for the men to be ready. However, they will come back with enough knowledge to begin a special program in your military force. Now I realize a month is not a lot of time to train them up, but they will receive a basic knowledge of combat survival along with jump training, explosive training, basic firearm mastery, combat field medic, high altitude and deep sea training, and tactical planning and strategy." I nodded my head in full understanding "very well, I understand."

Once the conversation wrapped up everyone began to make their way out. Anna was idly chatting with Kristoff on the way to the door. Hiccup walked passed me on the way out when I grabbed his hand. "Hiccup wait." He stopped and turned around "what's wrong Elsa?" I pondered my next few words to figure how to word what I wanted to say. "Hiccup, was the man who took your leg right?" I could see his face fall and I hesitated to ask the next question. My hesitation gave him the opportunity to jump in. "Elsa, that's something I'm not ready to talk about, I'm sorry." I nodded, my questions left unanswered, but I let the topic drop anyway.

I changed the direction of the conversation "so what do you plan to do to my poor troops?" I noticed a look that said 'didn't I tell you this earlier' so I clarified for him. "I mean how do you plan to accomplish that goal?" "Well, I'm going to get in touch with high command and request a joint operation, since we are now dealing with an enemy of Interpol as well. Remember the team you saw earlier?" I nodded my head, "well they're on station because a source claimed that Pitch was operating in the region. Once the request is approved, and it will be, Kristoff, Toothless, and I will be taking the chosen men into the mountains for the month. In the meantime, the remaining members of my team, along with the guardians, will stay behind to act as your guard."

"Now if you'll excuse me Elsa, I have to go contact Eragon…" I stopped him for a moment "who is Eragon?" He responded quickly and didn't seem irritated that I cut him off, or at least didn't show it. "He's our Operational Specialist back stateside. He provides us with our intel and maintains communication with high command while we are in the field. Once again," he started, and I had to fight down my embarrassment. "I will contact Eragon and inform him of this developing situation. Till then Elsa I bid you farewell and a good evening." With his last words said he made his way out the door and a short way down the hall to his room. He casted me on last glance and a small smile before he retired for the night. For the first time in forever, sleep didn't come easy that night.

 **A/N: Ok, now that our inspection is over I can once again pick up my laptop and put thought to paper. Things will begin to pick up from this point on. I am about half way through my next chapter, so it shouldn't be too long on that one. I would also like all of my readers to check out the link below. It's a video made by a non-profit organization, The Warrior Project, trying to raise awareness toward the subject of suicide among service members. Each branch has its own song dedicated solely to them, and in the description is the goal that they are trying to reach. Anyway, till next time my faithful readers.**

 **Link:**

 **watch?v=MXeLfMO9q4c**


	9. A Little Bonding

**A/N: I apologize for the long break, but I wanted to make sure I got this chapter just right. With a little help from my roommate, I think I finally got it perfect and I hope you guys think so too. Without further ado, here's the story.**

 **Chapter 9—A Little Bonding**

 **Castle**

 **01JUN24—0324**

 **Hiccup POV**

"AHH FUC…" I held my yell as the pain flooded through me. It felt like I had just lost my limbs all over again. A cold sweat glistened my brow as I balled the sheets up in my left hand and held my screams. It was as if I could feel every nerve ending that was no longer there making its presence known once more. It hit me wave after wave, and even got to the point I thought I would black out.

Finally after twenty long agonizing minutes the ghost pain, as it was dubbed, subsided and retreated back to whatever realm it came from. A groan escaped my lips as I moved my left arm to look at my wrist watch. "Fuck, 4 am. So much for a peaceful night." I mumbled to myself as I moved my artificial limbs. Once I made sure everything was in working order, I picked myself up and moved to the closet where my gear was stored to get ready for a morning workout. I grabbed my fatigue pants, boots and under armor dri fit. I made my way through the castle to the door leading to the gardens.

Suddenly, I heard a noise come from the kitchen. I immediately grabbed my knife out of my pocket and made my way to the kitchen. As I got closer I heard a rummaging noise coming from one of the cabinets. When I glanced around the corner I saw the funniest thing I'd probably ever see. Anna was up on the counter grabbing a box of cookies from the top shelf with several already stuffed in her mouth. I returned my blade to its place in my pocket so that I wouldn't scare her when I made entry.

When I rounded the corner I cleared my throat to make my presence known, and the reaction I got was far too priceless. All in a flash Anna jumped, turned to face me, and then attempted to reply. "mmmuh huhup waha hu huing hup" "What Anna? I can't understand you with your mouth full." I said with slight amusement in my voice as I attempted to conceal a laugh. She held up her hand and pointed to her mouth. I nodded and gave her a minute to chew, swallow, and then try to speak again. "Ah, sorry about that." She said with a blush on her cheeks. I waved it off with a smile on my face and allowed her to continue. "I said 'morning hiccup, what are you doing up so early.'" "Oh, I'm just not that tired." She looked at me with a face that said she didn't buy it.

I relented "ok, fine. I won't tell anybody about your little cookie raid tonight" she blushed again "but you can't tell anyone about why I'm actually up either." She seemed a bit taken back but agreed none the less. "Ok, Hiccup but let's head to the table. You can join me for breakfast." I chuckled "I don't think cookies constitute a real breakfast." She looked at me like I had just grown a second head. "But I will have me a bowl of cereal, so just hang on a second."

As I sat down I noticed Anna looking at me expectantly "uh Anna, is there any reason you're staring at me like that?" She deadpanned "did you forget already? You were going to tell me why you're really up so early." "Crap I was hoping you'd let me get out of that one." I was rubbing the back of my head. She frowned a little "why don't you want to tell me? Stop being so reclusive, it's kind of annoying you know?" Now it was my turn to deadpan "thank you for summing that up." She just laughed "don't think that witty comment is going to get you out of it that easily." I groaned "…fine…"

I finished up the last of my cereal and looked up to see that I had Anna's full attention. With a final sigh I pushed my bowl aside and raised my gaze to meet hers. "Anna ever heard of something called 'ghost pain'?" She just shook her head. "Well basically, it's feeling pain in a limb that is no longer there." Her eyes widened in realization. "I see you have already put the pieces together. This is something I've experienced a lot, especially recently. It feels as if I'm losing my limbs all over again, and the pain is excruciating. Almost every night it feels like lightning is shooting through the places my leg and arm should be. It pulls me from my sleep and prevents me peace of mind. It's like having a nagging voice always buzzing in the back of your head. A constant reminder of what you couldn't do, and of the people you'll never see again."

The atmosphere took on a melancholy feel as a sadness seemed to seep in around us. I could tell she couldn't stand it, but her next words definitely brought a smile to my face. "Hiccup, while I can't claim to understand this 'ghost pain' or whatever, I can relate to that loneliness you feel. I spent eighteen years trying to get my sister to come out of her room. Three of which, I didn't even have the help of my parents, since they were lost in a plane crash over the mountains." Her face took a solemn look, but still a small smile remained as she continued. "Finally, she was coroneted to the position of Queen and I thought I had my sister back once more. However, that wasn't the case at first; I had to go through hell to get her back. Almost at the cost of my own life, but you know what all that made me realize?" I just shook my head and let her continue on. "I realized I loved my sister no matter what, and even though our past wasn't the greatest we still pulled through. Now, I know that I haven't actually lost my sister, but being excluded from each other's lives for that long I thought I had. It all worked out simply because the past is the past, and nothing is going to change that. However, the future is always changing, and….."

She looked up with a slightly sly smile "….that a few chocolate chip cookies can fix anything." As she said that she waved one in front of me. "Haha, I'm kidding. Seriously though, you can't let your past shape your future or its going to be the end of you." I sat there slightly awe struck and dumbfounded as I pondered her words. After a moment I found my bearings once more "that was highly insightful Anna, you really should be a public speaker." She smiled "thank you Hiccup, but first I have to show you up in a race." I was taken back a little, but responded with a smile none the less. "Alright there 'cookie monster', if you think you can keep up then go get ready." She shot me a humorous 'evil eye' and took off like a bat out of hell to go change.

A couple of minutes later she was back, and sporting a pair of black shorts with a white shirt reading 'free warm hugs'. With a slight chuckle I opened the door to the gardens for her, and closed it behind us. We made our way down to the beach just before the sun was up. As soon as our feet hit the sand we were gone.

 **Kristoff POV**

I walked into the dining room to find everyone but Hiccup and Anna there. My curiosity peaked I decided to ask the others. "Hey have you guys seen Anna or Hiccup?" Everyone seemed to ponder the answer for a second before Elsa spoke up. "No, now that you mention it I haven't. It's odd usually she's up by now." I nodded and replied "I know, Hiccup is definitely up by now. I haven't see hide nor hair of either of them." Meathead put his two cents in "well did you check their rooms?" I deadpanned "well….no." He smiled at me and I just grumbled a reply "maybe I should have looked first."

I made to move to the wing of the castle that held the rooms, but before I could the door to the dining room swung open. Both Hiccup and Anna walked in chatting about something I didn't catch. What I did catch though was the look of both of them. The two of them were covered in sweat and sand from head to toe. It seems I wasn't the only one to notice, if the faces around the room were anything to go by. Finally, after a few seconds the two noticed all of us. "Morning everyone" Hiccup said with a slight smile still on his face. A group of mumbled 'morning' was the only reply he got. When he realized the conversation died there he made his plans known. "Well I see everyone is still asleep. If you guys need me I'll be in my quarters. I really need a shower anyway." Without a second glance he left the room, and also a slightly upset Anna.

Once she was sure he was out of ear shot she turned to us. "What the hell was that?!" I looked to her with a puzzled look "what do you mean?" "I mean that half assed good morning you shot him. Nobody even tried to attempt a conversation." Sven jumped in this time "you'll understand soon enough, as will you Elsa" he said as he turned toward her.

A few minutes later Hiccup came back with a grave expression on his face and spoke. "I see, why none of you spoke up this morning. It is indeed not turning out to be a bright day." I could see that the guys knew what he was talking about, but the girls looked lost. I filled in the missing information "a team was lost this morning in a raid on an Isis compound. All 6 members were ambushed and killed…..their bodies were strung up for the public to see." The looks of shock on the faces of those present who didn't know was not hard to miss.

Elsa looked at me and spoke "what's going to happen to their bodies?" Sven once again took the topic "right now nothing can be done. A force will be assembled to attempt to recover the bodies, but that is going to prove exceedingly difficult." I could see the confusion on Anna's face and decided to fill the unanswered question. "The enemy knows that we won't leave our men over there to be display ornaments, and because of that fact alone the enemy will be expecting us."

Toothless rushed in from whatever he was doing "guys, you already heard the news?" We all solemnly nodded our head before Hiccup proceeded with even worse news. "Toothless….I'm sorry….Meatlug and Hookfang were both on that mission." That news even shocked me, and everyone else in the room. Once again the two women looked at me with confusion, so I shuffled a little closer to them and whispered "Mason Reeves (aka Meatlug) and Charles Heindrick (aka Hookfang) were two of Toothless's oldest friends. Just like how Hiccup and Fishlegs were." I was about to continue on when Toothless spoke in a voice so broken it almost couldn't be pinged as his. "I…I can't believe it….they're both gone. Charles son had just been diagnosed with cancer….he was about to retire and take care of his boy."

At this point Hiccup walked over and slung his arm around Toothless shoulder. "Come on bud, let's go have a chat." I heard Anna speak up "poor Toothless, seems Hiccup and him really do have a lot in common.

 **Anna POV**

I didn't see Toothless or Hiccup after that for a long time. In fact, nobody saw either of them till just before dinner, and even then it was only Hiccup who decided to show face. I saw him pull the guys aside, and of course my curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to see if I could over hear some of the conversation. However, a quick nudge from my sister and a dirty look swiftly knocked that idea out of my head.

After a few minutes they concluded their business and proceeded to meet back up with me and Elsa. I shot a look at Kristoff that said 'what's going on?' He just replied with a look that said 'I'll tell you later.' A moment later Hiccup spoke "Alright ladies, it's been a long day so I'm going to retire. First though, Elsa may I have a word with you?" My sister nodded then the two of them took off to somewhere else in the castle.

As soon as they were out of sight I snapped my head to Kristoff "speak." He looked at me "geez, you don't even give a guy a second to breathe." I feigned offense "what's that supposed to mean?" He chuckled "kidding, I was kidding." I grumbled under my breath "yea you had better been kidding." He looked at me confused "what was that?" I quickly replied "nothing." After a moment he began with a sigh "we found out about that team from our OS back home." I nodded since Hiccup mentioned that once before and then he continued on. "Hiccup found out about Toothless two friends from Mrs. Gunsage..." I cut him off "who is Mrs. Gunsage?" Without a pause he answered me "she's the wife of a MARSOC marine. Her husband has done a few joint missions with us. Hell, his team has even pulled us out of a few…less than pleasant…situations. The two of them are good friends with us, and she also happens to be one of the representatives for things like this."

I nodded and waited for him to continue, which he did after a short pause. "Where was I?" I slipped in a quick response "at the part where Hiccup found out." A bright look hit his face "oh, right. Hiccup found out from Mrs. Gunsage over a secure channel in the operations room." A solemn look overtook my face "I see. Poor Toothless." He nodded "yea, he's going to be pretty down about it for a while." We made the rest of the walk to our rooms in a silence that almost seemed overbearing.

A few short minutes later we were at the door of my room. He bid me a pleasant goodbye and went to make his way to his room. Suddenly, an idea popped into my head "WAIT!" He stopped and looked at me with slight confusion. Without a pause I blurted out "I want to learn to shoot!" The look on his face was humorous, but my determination didn't waiver. "W…w…what?!" was all he could say. I shot him a look that said 'you heard me.' After a moment his face returned to normal and he spoke "ok, I'll talk to Hiccup about it…BUT, don't be upset if he doesn't approve the idea." I couldn't help the broad smile that spread across my face, and before I knew what I was doing I cleared the couple of feet between us and planted a kiss on his cheek. He stood there shocked, and as soon as I realized what I had done I bid him a good night and scurried back to my room. I didn't miss the smile that graced his lips as I shut my door. Feeling slightly embarrassed and elated, I decided to go to bed and easily fell asleep.

 **15 Minutes Prior with Hiccup and Elsa**

 **Hiccup POV**

I asked for a word with Elsa, as soon as she nodded, I began walking toward our rooms. As soon as we were out of listening range I began my brief. "Elsa" I saw her look at me from the corner of my eye. "Remember the other team you met at your friend's wedding ball?" I could see a spark light in her eyes "yes, why?" "Because, they are going to be coming back on station to assist with this protection detail." I could see a confused look on her face "I remember you telling me that, but honestly, what's so special about my sister and I?" Now it was my turn to sport a look of confusion "what do you mean? Both you and your sister are the last of the royal family."

She still didn't seem content with that answer "I mean what's so special about Arendelle?" With a slight chuckle I answered "well first of you have a slight…terrorist problem." She didn't seem to find it that funny "ha, sorry. On a serious note though, your country is a prime location for a terrorist regime to set up camp. You're close enough to both Europe and America to pose a threat, and isolated enough that a well-armed group could fortify and hold this country. However, under your leadership the country has shown no ill-will to any other nations. Well, with the exception of the Southern Isles and Weselton, but those are petty squabbles. Our mission here is to make sure you remain in power, have the opportunity to marry, and establish a strong military."

I saw a slight pink tinge to her cheeks when I brought up the topic of marriage, but I let that slide for now. We continued our walk for a few moments in silence before she spoke up again "Hiccup?" I looked at her and replied "hm." She looked at me with eyes full of curiosity "is there anything you're afraid of?" That question caught me slightly off guard "w…what do you mean?" However, she kept up that cute questioning look "I mean, you face death a million times and stare it down, so there surely has to be something that you're afraid of."

I didn't want to answer at first, but her gaze held true. I thought about it for a few moments before finally answering "I mean…I guess I am. I guess my biggest fear is seeing the ones I care for the most get hurt. I'd give my other arm and leg to never again lose one of my men." I saw her nod as we stopped at our doors, but I wasn't finished just yet. "However, I would give my life to make sure you never get hurt." Instantly she looked at me in shock, but before she could say anything I gave her a small peck on the forehead. "Goodnight Elsa" I said as I turned around, walked into my room, and closed the door. That night I had a pretty restful sleep.

 **Elsa POV**

I stood there staring at his door for a long moment in a blissful shock before I turned around and made my way into my room. I don't really remember changing into my night clothes or even laying down for that matter. My mind was focused on all the events that happened over the course of this evening.

 _I can't believe I blushed like a schoolgirl when he mentioned marriage, ugh I bet he thinks I'm hopeless. Wait, maybe he didn't notice. I hope he didn't it would be so embarrassing if he called me out on it! And if Anna found out then I'd never live it down._ I closed my eyes for a moment and let out a small sigh. _What came over me? Do I even think of him like that? Does he even think of me like that?_

 _He's never shown anything toward me until just a few minutes ago. Maybe he does see me as something more!_ A feeling of elation rushed through me at that thought. _I mean he kissed me on the forehead, and told me he'd give his life for me._ I couldn't help the butterflies that found their way into my stomach when I thought that. _Okay Elsa, let's calm down now. Maybe he meant it in a friendly way._ A small bout of sadness came over me with that thought, but couldn't overpower the lingering elated feeling. _Then again if he did mean it in another way maybe something could come of it._

Once again the memory of him mentioning marriage made its way into my head as yet another blush reached my cheeks. However, another upsetting thought popped into my mind. _But, could it work between the two of us? I mean he's from another country and is pretty high ranking in the military. He has to be a valuable asset, and one they're not going to let go of easily._ Another sigh escaped my lips as more thoughts like that made their way into my head.

 _For all I know he may never see me again after this protection mission of his. I mean, if what Punzie and Merida said holds any value, then he bounces from country in need to country in need. Who's to say he hasn't met somebody else yet?_ I could feel a slight amount of frost crisping my fingertips as I thought that.

 _Wait, didn't Toothless say that he was hurt previously by some girl back home? Maybe he's still hurting from that experience. Maybe there's still hope! If I can show him the love he's been missing for so long, then maybe he'll stay. Toothless did mention something about Hiccup looking for a new place to settle down away from all the pain of his past. I'll have to talk to the team tomorrow see if I can't dig up some information on the mystery man._

With a feeling of determination in my heart I began to plan my own personal mission. _Looks like I've got my own mission to accomplish. It seems that my sister has taken a liking to Kristoff, and it also seems that the feeling is mutual with him. Who knows maybe Hiccup can work something out. From the sounds of it, it seems like most of the team doesn't have much time left on their enlistments. In fact, I think Toothless said that this would be his and Hiccup's last mission before they decided to get out. Which means I need to work fast!_

 _Although if tonight is any indication, I may already be on the right track._ With a smile on my face I rolled over on my side. As I began to feel my eyelids get heavy, dreams of little children with brown hair and ocean blue eyes sleeping in a chair on the lap of a king whose similar features radiated love and warmth, put my mind at ease. I knew I'd sleep well tonight, because a man with a heart of gold is protecting me. With a final whisper of "goodnight Hiccup," I slipped into a blissful dream world.

 **A/N: Alright guys and gals, send me your reviews. Let me know what you guys think. If you have anything you'd like to see in the story, send me a PM. I've got the main plotline written, but I'm always open to ideas for a small fill in. Anyway, like I said, please review and who knows if your review is really helpful, (or just makes me smile) you may see your username in the story. Thanks!**


	10. Without You Here

**A/N: I apologize for the long delay between my recent chapters. We just wrapped up a big inspection, one that I had a large part in. Unfortunately, we now move into our Basic Phase, which means that time between updates will be quite extensive. However, I have no intention to abandon the story, nor do I plan to do a long hiatus. I will see this through before the next time I am expected to ship out. Luckily for all you loyal readers, I have a 2 week leave coming up for the Christmas period. The plan is to get 2 more chapters out in that time frame, if not more. Chapter 11 is already in the process of being completed and should be out shortly. Thank you to all those who have reviewed the story, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Chapter 10—Without You Here**

 **Castle**

 **03JUN24—0730**

 **Toothless POV**

I looked over my gear one last time to make sure I had everything I need for this month long trip. Today's the day we're going to be taking a team of Elsa's most trusted soldiers into the mountains to prepare them for the coming storm. It sure took Jack's team long enough to get here though 'friggin Brits.' A soft knock broke me from my thoughts. As I opened the door I came face to face with Elsa.

"Ah Elsa, what can I do for you?" She looked at me slightly sad "so you guys are leaving today?" I looked back at her slightly confused "yea, is something the matter?" She shook her head with a small smile on her face "no, just wanted to make sure you take care of my men….and that 'fearless' leader of yours." Instantly I thought back to the conversation we had yesterday "ah yes, I'll make sure they all stay safe." With a small nod she excused herself "very well, thank you Toothless." After that she turned and walked away, off to do whatever duties she had for the day. Once again my mind drifted back to the conversation between the two of us yesterday.

 **Flashback**

 **02JUN24—1524**

'That was one hell of a workout' I thought to myself as I wiped the sweat from my brow. On my way back to my room I passed Elsa in the hallway. She seemed to be deep in thought, but I decided to be polite in my passing "good afternoon Elsa." My voice seemed to bring her out of whatever world she was in as she looked at me with a slight wave. A few moments after she registered it was me I heard her call out "Toothless, wait." I turned to look at her "what's the matter Elsa?" She seemed to hesitate a second before she found her voice "can I have a word with you?" I looked at her with a pleasant smile "sure, but can you give me like twenty minutes to go clean up?" She nodded so I continued on "ok then, how about I meet you in the dining room?" Now she was smiling at me "okay."

 **20 Minutes Later**

I met Elsa in the dining room with a small bowl of fruit in my hand. She was already seated so I grabbed the seat adjacent to her, as I offer her some fruit. When I sat down I looked to Elsa "so what did you want to speak to me about?" She seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before she spoke up "well…I wanted to talk to you about Hiccup." I couldn't help but be a bit taken back "come again?"

She became a little shy at my remark "I-I'd like…to know…a bit more about…Hiccup." My face softened "no, I heard that part, I was just surprised is all. However, it's not really my place to be speaking about his life." I saw her face fall at that "buuuuut, I guess some small things wouldn't hurt." Her face instantly did a one-eighty and she slightly trembled with excitement. A small smile made its way on to my face "is there anything specific you'd like to know?" With a nod she answered "he seems like a lady killer, is that really how he is?"

I couldn't help the smile that grace my face or the laugh that escaped my lips. Wiping a tear from my eye I replied "no, not at all. He's actually quite reserved." Another laugh escaped my mouth at the face she made. A moment later she responded "what? What do you mean by that? He seems so outgoing and exuberant." Once my chuckles had died down I answered her "that's his mask. Everyone wears a mask to cover up something and you've already heard about some of his exploits in the field. He uses that façade so people don't ask questions." She bore a look of confusion "what kind of questions?" With a blank face I responded "like the kind that you came here to ask me."

She seemed hesitant for a second but I continued on "look Elsa, although he hasn't said it outright or really expressed it, he does care for you. I can see it and the fact that you're standing here in front of me means that you see it too. I also see the way you look at him, but you're still unsure about your own feelings. I'm sure he can see that too. He doesn't want to be hurt like he was the last time. The real question is do you care for him the way he does for you?"

Without hesitation she blurted out an answer, once I wasn't expecting so soon. "Yes." I looked at her in shock for a moment "whoa, guess you didn't really have to think about that one. Let me ask you one more question then." She nodded her head. "He's in harm's way a lot. What are you going to do if something happens to him?" She paused for a moment this time, but still answered in a quick manner. "I would just have to be there for him no matter what happens." I looked at her solemnly "and if he doesn't come home?" Her face became downcast, but a small fire was burning in her eyes "my heart belongs to him and him alone."

With a smile I looked at her and replied "looks like Hiccup found himself someone truly special." She smiled as I continued "I'll support you in your endeavor, but it's still going to be a slight uphill battle." With a small smile still lingering she spoke softly "I realized that, but all good things come with a challenge." A small chuckle escaped my lips as I spoke "that's true. I feel you'll succeed with a little persistence."

Another grin threatened to swallow her face "thanks Toothless. This was just the talk I needed to have with you." A small smile still on my face I replied "anytime Elsa." With that she bid me a goodbye and took her leave. _Well that was a fun chat, but now I have to finish packing._

 **Flashback End**

Hiccup met up with me as I was walking out of my room. "You ok there Toothless? You seem a little lost in thought." I look at him as we walk toward the courtyard "yea, I'm good man. Just remembering something important." He nodded to me "hope it's not going to distract you from the mission at hand." I looked at him with a playfully hurt expression "you think so little of me." A small laugh escapes his lips "right, sorry bud."

As we arrived in the courtyard we were greeted by Elsa, Anna, and the selected group of trainees. Once we were a few feet away Elsa spoke up "where's your transportation? Surely you're not going to walk up the mountain." As if on cue a loud chopping sound echoed through the courtyard as a CH-46 Chinook rounded one of the towers closest to the airfield. Hiccup spoke up with a slight grin "ask and you shall receive."

A few moments later the helicopter made it's descent into the courtyard kicking up dust and causing the two women and a few of the guards to cover their faces. Upon its touchdown, Kristoff made his way off and over to us "sorry about the wait, you know how finicky these old tin cans are." With a knowing smile he turned to the group "who here has been in a helo crash?" Of course, all of our guys threw up a hand, but only a few of the more veteran Arendellians raised theirs. With a small chuckle I spoke "well, let's hope we won't have to give any training on that." The others gave a chuckle as we grabbed our gear and made way for the helicopter.

Hiccup and I made our way to the base of the CH-46's ramp and waited as the Arendellians loaded up. Once the last Arendellian was aboard, Kristoff walked passed us toward the cockpit and let the pilots know we were ready to go. As the rotors picked up speed Hiccup and myself stepped aboard, and with one final wave the ramp closed and we were off.

 **Elsa POV**

I watched as the helicopter's ramp door shut and offered a small wave as I caught Hiccup's last glance. With that the helicopter took to the sky and toward the mountain before disappearing beyond the clouds. Once it was out of sight I turned to Anna "it's going to be quiet over the next month isn't it?" With a small frown she nodded, but quickly perked up as she spoke "time is going to fly by though. They'll be back before we know it!" A small smile graced my lips as I replied "you're right. Now let's go have some chocolate ice cream!"

 **09JUN24—1230**

 **Anna POV**

'I spent the better half of an hour searching the castle for her and she's been here the whole time?!' As I made my way into the study I noticed Elsa sitting by the window with her back facing the door. I walked around the chair and reveled in the sight before me. Elsa was slightly hunched over with her head on her right shoulder signaling she was passed out. What was really funny was the fact that she was drooling slightly.

I couldn't help the cheshire grin that spread to my face as a plan formulated in my mind. I pulled out my phone and snapped a picture of Elsa, but I didn't stop there. I also put my phone on record and set it on the table. Once that was complete I stood directly in front of her and yelled with a smile "Wow Hiccup, you're back already?!"

The reaction was priceless as Elsa's head snapped up slightly messing up her hair, and flinging a little drool around. Instantly, she wiped the drool from her mouth and shot up to face the door. I couldn't contain my laughter any longer and just let it go. I laughed so hard it brought tears to my eyes and even made my stomach hurt.

After a few moments I regained my composure, and looked up to see Elsa glaring at me with a dark expression and a sinister smile. "So you think that's funny huh Anna? Well how about I show you funny?" The temperature in the room dropped slightly, and I took that as my cue to leave. I instantly reached over, grabbed my phone and something else, then took off like a bat out of hell out of the study.

I looked over my shoulder to see Elsa hot on my heels. As I looked back forward I saw my room at the end of the hall, and put everything I had into getting away. Elsa must have noticed because she iced over the floor and I fell flat on my butt. I looked to see her quickly gaining ground and began to say my last prayer. Before I knew it she…

 **09JUN24—1442**

 **Anna POV**

"Ruelsa…ret re ro!" I said with my lips frozen to an ice sculpture of Kristoff. Elsa was laughing her head off at my predicament as she snapped picture after picture on her phone. "Sheriously Ruelsa!" I attempted to yell at her of melt the statue, but she just continued laughing. I managed to pull my lips off far enough to get an actual sentence out "ok Elsa, I'll just have to make sure I show Hiccup your diary when he gets back." _That actually hurt my lips more than I thought._

Her face fell after I said that, and she spoke "what do you mean? I left my diary locked in my study." With a triumphant look I endured the pain as I replied "you think my phone was the only thing I took off that table? And I've already hidden it where only I will find it." With a glare she released me from my 'hunky ice prison' and turned to me "ok, now where's my diary?"

She must have sensed I was going to run again because she built up an ice wall behind me. A cheshire grin spread across my face as I spoke "what's the matter Elsa? Don't want Hiccup knowing about all the little things you think about him?" Shen seemed taken back a bit, but she quickly replaced that look with a smile I didn't like. "Ok, Anna you can tell Hiccup all about my Diary…I'll just have to make sure I tell Kristoff about last year's Christmas party."

My eyes grew wide as saucers and my body went rigid as she said that "you wouldn't dare." With a smile she spoke once more "oh, but I would." Her eyes looked up and to the right as she continued "if I remember correctly, I think I still have the picture too." This time I felt fear run through me "now Elsa, let's not do anything rash." With a defiant smile she replied "well if I had my diary back I wouldn't have to."

A feeling of defeat surged through me "fine…follow me." As we made our way to the resident wing of the castle I struck up a conversation "you're such a jerk Elsa. My lips are still sore from that little ice sculpture of yours." With a blank look she turned her head to me "well, I wouldn't have had to do that if you hadn't scared the crap out of me…or took my diary." With a small glare I replied "well I wouldn't have mentioned your diary if you hadn't frozen my lips."

She shot a glare back "and what would you have done with it exactly?" A sheepish look graced my features "oh…ya know…read it, hide it…" with a mumble "…showed it to Hiccup." She stopped on the spot, as did I "wait, you mean you actually would have showed that to him?" I just shrugged my shoulders "maybe, it seems like you need a bit of a push in the right direction." She shot me another glare "what does that mean?" I just looked back at her with a look that said 'did you really just ask me that?'

Her face softened a little bit, but I could see the conflict in her eyes "I understand why you're apprehensive about him. You don't want him to turn out like the last guy you were with…what was it again?" She chimed in "you mean Hans?" She shot me a dirty look "Hiccup is nothing like Hans! You can't even begin to put them in the same category." A knowing smile graced my face "seems like you've already made up your mind about him then."

She became silent after that so I decided to change the subject. "How do you think the group of guys you sent is fairing with those three?" She seemed to think about it for a second "well I've heard stories about what they go through in training. I know it's going to pay off, but will our guys be able to take the hell that those three are going to put them through?" I looked at her "of course! You sent some of our best up there with them. If they can't do it then nobody can." She smiled at me "you're right Anna." Feeling jubilant I exclaimed "of course I am! Now let's go grab a treat…" She looked at me with confusion. "…I know where Kai hid the stash of chocolate." Instantly her face lit up with joy "lead the way then…and then I'll get my diary back." I nodded with a smile and then took off with Elsa right behind me.

 **17JUN24—1125**

 **Elsa POV**

I was on a walk in the gardens when I bumped into someone I didn't expect. Looking at the man, I made my presence known "good morning Sven." He turned and looked at me "ah, good morning Queen Elsa." With a giggle I replied "please Sven, we've been over this, it's just Elsa." He smiled "right, sorry Elsa. Anyway what brings you to the gardens on this fine day?" With the smile still on my face I answered "just wanted to walk around and clear my head. What about you Sven?" "I just turned over my roving patrol to Meathead, and was just cutting through the gardens to enjoy the scenery. Care to join me for the rest of my walk?"

With a small nod I replied "I would like that." With that we began our way toward the fountain. "So Elsa, what's it like being a Queen?" I looked at him while walking "well, to be honest, it's a quite stressful job. I'm sure you figured out that Arendele is one of the last absolute monarchies still functioning." He nodded and I continued "while I do have a counsel to assist me with my duties, in the end all responsibility and decisions made falls solely on my shoulders. It can be quite stressful, but also very rewarding."

He looked to me slightly confused "how so?" "Well, every time I make my way into the city I'm reminded of all the choices I've made for this country. Everything from trade contracts to festivals of honor and so on. Seeing the smiles on the faces of my people makes all the hardship I face worth it in the end." I could feel my smile fade away "I just wish I didn't have to do it all alone." Once more he seemed slightly confused as he spoke up "but you're not alone. You have Anna to help you."

I shook my head slightly "while yes Anna does help at time, she has no real leadership experience. Plus, she has a tendency to act without thinking and can be a little naive at times. Do I think she could lead the kingdom? Absolutely, but I think if it came down to a difficult choice. For example, send an army to neutralize a threat with a low possibility of survival, or risk an attack on the kingdom. I'm not sure how, or if she even could, handle that pressure. Hell, I hate making choices like that but I also realize what's at stake. I just wish I could find a guy who could make choices like that, and help me burden the weight of the outcome. Someone who would put his people before himself. Someone…"

"…like Hiccup." "Yea, Sven like Hic-" I shot him an incredulous look "wait, what?" He looked to me with a smile "you just described Hiccup. Plus, anyone can see that you're quite fond of him." "Wh-no…I…" I crossed my arms and felt a pout grace my face "oh come on! Is everyone going to call me out on that?!" He just laughed "like I said, it's quite obvious to everyone. That's just as obvious as the thing going on between Kristoff and Anna. At least they're open about it. Seeing you and Hiccup is like watching a 'chick flick.'" I looked at him with a blank expression as he continued "I'm sure I'm not the only person who has told you this, nor will I probably be the last, but you should talk to Hiccup and let him know how you really feel."

I sighed "I knew you were going to say that." He just laughed "well maybe we're all trying to tell you something. Remember Elsa, life is short, don't waste it and lose out on things that 'might' have been." I recognized the castle door standing in front of us. "Wait, what happened to stopping by the fountain?" He looked at me and shrugged "I guess we were so caught up in our conversation we didn't notice we passed it." He looked at his watch "anyway, let's head in and join the others for dinner. It's already 1630." I looked at him shocked "wow, time really flies." With a nod he led the way into the dining hall for dinner.

 **23JUN24—1315**

 **Anna POV**

"Elsa, it is so boring. I miss Kris….the others." I whined as we walked the grounds of the castle. She gave a slight nod and replied "yes, Meathead and Sven aren't as talkative as the other three." As we were walking we bumped into someone we hadn't seen in a while. He noticed our presence and made his way over to us. "Good afternoon your majesties." Elsa offered a quick nod followed by a "good afternoon, Mr. Overland."

He responded with a smile "please your majesty, call me Frost." The both of us gave him an odd look before I responded "ok, Frost. So what brings you out on the grounds today?" He offered us a smile "actually, you just caught me on my way out into town, care to join me?" The two of us looked at one another then shrugged and said "sure."

After a walk through the gates and down a ways we found ourselves in the merchant district of the city. We found ourselves at a Starbucks next door to our favorite chocolate shop Godiva. While Elsa and Mr. Frost went in to get some coffee or hot chocolate I popped in to the chocolate store to grab us some treats. A few minutes later we found a seat on the patio area of the Starbucks.

A short silence followed for a few minutes until I decided to break the ice "so Mr. Overland…" "Please, just Frost." "…right, Frost, what's it like being part of the British SAS?" A large smile adorned his features as he spoke "well for starters…we're better than the SEALs." Both my sister and I deadpanned at his declaration. Elsa asked the question on both of our minds "why's that?" The smile still on his face he replied "well, we never lose."

Me and my sister just looked at each other before I responded "didn't Hiccup out lift you by a hundred pounds?" A pout adorned his face "yea, but…" This time Elsa chimed in "and if I remember correctly didn't Toothless out drink that Nick fellow?" Once again he tried to defend himself "well, he…" Once more I made a point "oh Elsa, didn't Kristof also beat their supposed fastest member in a foot race?" She got the point and played along "why yes he did."

It was at this point Frost folded "okay, okay, maybe we do lose sometimes, but those are only petty squabbles. We'd never lose anything major to an American." A sweet smile graced my face "then what happened in 1776?" His look of astonishment was priceless, and even Elsa let out a chuckle. He pouted once more as he spoke to us "that bloody Hiccup told you to say that didn't he?" I just nodded as Elsa answered "actually, he told us to ask you that question first, knowing it would rile you up." This time he scowled a bit, but still held a tone of playfulness "I'm guna kill him."

Me and Elsa couldn't help but laugh as he slightly fumed. I decided to divert the topic "anyway Frost, why not tell us a little about yourself." The scowl dropped from his face as a small smile returned "let's see. First off, I come from a small town called New Abbey in the northern part of England. I enlisted in the English Royal Army at the age of eighteen and began my career as a commando. Roughly a year later I went up for the SAS selection process, and well here I am."

I looked to Elsa then back to him "that's it?" He looked at me a little oddly "yea, that's basically my life in a nutshell." Once more I looked to Elsa "what is with these special forces guys and being so secretive? It's really kind of annoying." She simply nodded at me. I turned back around to face Frost "ok, since you don't wanna say too much about your background, why not tell us how you and Hiccup became friends."

A neutral look adorned his features as he spoke "friends? I guess you could use that word for that peg-legged, burger eating, patriot."

 **Elsewhere with Hiccup**

"Achoo." "What's wrong Hiccup? You're not catching a cold are you?" Toothless asked. Hiccup shook his head "no, but I just got the sudden urge to put a tea drinking Brit in his place."

 **Back with Anna**

Frost spoke "let's see, I guess what really made us close was the ambush." That immediately perked my interest, and from the corner of my eye I could see Elsa was also intrigued. Elsa piped up and asked the question on both of our minds "what ambush?" Frost's face went solemn "remember King Lancer? The Southern Isles king who was killed by his youngest son so that he could gain the throne?" Both of us just nodded as he continued "well, his son Hans had made a deal with a few high ranking, at the time, Al-Qaeda leaders. Basically, if they helped him gain the throne then he would grant them protection."

"A French Interpol agent had caught wind of what was going on, and was killed in his attempt to escape. However, he managed to get the word to a couple of NBC World reporters. One was American and the other was British. The two managed to make it to a British Embassy close to their location. The news made it back to both host countries as they devised a plan to get the embassy clear."

He paused for a moment as he sipped his tea before continuing. "Quickly it became a joint operation between our two countries. Upon our arrival aboard the USS Stennis, we were greeted by the team that was going to be escorting us. I was a tad bit shocked to find Hiccup standing in front of me. I was expecting team six, in all honesty. Now, by this time I had met his team a few times, but we never really had a mission together."

Once more he drank some tea, and allowed the information to settle in our minds. "We got right down to business as soon as everyone gathered. The plan was to have the two SAS teams enter from the parking garage underneath, while Hiccup's team and the MARSOC team that was joining us rappelled in from a helo." I quickly cut him off "I've heard Hiccup say something like that, but what is a MARSOC team?" Frost offered a small smile "it stands for Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command. Basically, it's just what it sounds like."

Still a little confused I asked another question "but why do the Marines have special teams if the SEALs are so good?" He offered a little chuckle before answering "all Special Forces are very well rounded, but each group excels in certain areas." He looked at the look on our faces and elaborated "for example, take a SEAL team. They're great in all aspects of combat just like every other special team, but they excel in any kind of waterborne combat. Whether it's underwater demolition or saving a ship captain from pirates in the middle of the ocean. Another example is the SAS, once again we are very well rounded in all aspects of combat, but we really excel when it comes to jumping in behind enemy lines and neutralizing them. The reason for that lies in our origin. We were originally created during World War II to jump behind enemy lines to do damage. MARSOC units are the same way, except they excel at sniping. These guys could shoot the wings off a fly at five hundred yards. Does that clear things up a bit?"

I nodded, but it seems Elsa had one last question "so, you said that the SAS background lies in its paratrooper origin right?" I saw him nod "what is the background of the SEAL program?" I could see him ponder the question for a second before he replied "honestly, I'm not sure. That's something you would have to ask one of them." He finished off the rest of his tea and the looked at his watch. "I believe it's time we head back, it's getting close to dinner time." The two of us looked at each other, nodded, and rose from our seats with Frost following our lead. The trip to the castle was a peacefully silent one.

 **02JUL24—0947**

 **Frost POV**

I just finished Skyping my wife when a light tapping sound graced my door. I shut my laptop and made my way to the origin of the noise. I opened the oak door to reveal the SEAL team medic, Sven. The sight of the man confused me a tad. "What can I help you with this morning Sven?" His face showed no emotion as he spoke "I believe it's time we begin discussing assault plans for ISIS compounds in the area." Instantly, I was curious "why the change all of a sudden?"

He let out a sigh "a group of ISIS supporters attacked an elementary school in the rural areas on the other side of the North Mountain." My face grew stern "what was the outcome?" His silence was all I needed to confirm my worst fear. I could feel my anger building "FUCK! These bloody bastards need to be finished once and for all!" He took the opportunity to speak "you're right. The only problem, or should I say problems, are Pitch and Drago. If we could eliminate them then the organization would fall apart."

I spoke solemnly "but how long until another rises in its place?" He shook his head "I can't answer that, but we can show these radicals that there is no place in our world for their shit." I simply nodded while he continued "let's meet at 1300 in the Operations Room. We will inform Hiccup what is going on upon his return tomorrow. In the meantime those of us remaining will strategize and prepare a counter assault in case they get brave. I would appreciate it if your men could be there as well Major."

His use of my title didn't go unnoticed, nor did the severity in his voice. I spoke to him as if he was one of my own "me and my men will be in attendance. I heard that the two of you that Hiccup left behind are excellent tacticians." He nodded and answered "that's correct." I continued on "then I will observe your

opinions as if you were officers." He nodded slightly "thank you sir." With that he took his leave, and progressed down the hall and out of view. I looked to my desk that was riddled with notes and thought to myself 'it's going to be a long day.'

 **1300**

As I entered the make-shift Operations room, all of the men already present rose to their feet. Upon my entry, I could see the royal family sitting with on the left side of the room. Opposite them were my men, and to the front of the room was Sven. I made my way to the front isle and took a seat next to my men. Once I sat down everyone else took that as their cue to sit as well, and Sven took it as his cue to begin the brief.

"Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen. As you know, around 1500 yesterday a group of ISIS supporters car bombed an elementary school in the River Province on the north side of the mountains." I heard a small gasp come from the Princess 'I guess she didn't know'. "Casualties numbered in the low hundreds and of all various age groups. What this tells us is that the supporters are getting braver. You were all called here today to formulate a plan in the event they decide to attack Arendelle directly. Of course, our immediate mission is to protect the royal family, but we will still plan to help where we can. Any questions?"

A small hand shot up from the Princess "But if they attack the city directly, won't it be with a large force? Are there enough of you to stop them if they do?" I was about to field that question, but I could see that Sven had already anticipated it so I let him take care of it. "Do you have so little faith in us Princess?" She went to answer but stopped herself as he continued "first off, we won't be fighting alone. I know that an attack on your soil would prompt your military to intervene with or without the Queen's consent. Secondly, all of the men in this room, and those out on the training mission, specialize in beating the odds, even if it means our death. Lastly, is precisely why we called this meeting, so that in the event a large force does attempt to occupy the city we, can cut them down without major losses."

The Princess seemed to have taken his words to heart and allowed herself to come down. The Queen on the other hand seemed a bit more concerned, but I'm not quite sure what about. Sven began speaking once more as I focused my attention back on him. "The watch rotation Hiccup established will be slowly phased into the regular guard shift. This will allow those of us with more combat experience, to include the team being trained currently, to act as a reaction force in the event an attack does happen. The initial Alpha team will consist of Team 13 and half of the Arendellian Reaction Force. The other half of the Arendellian Reaction Force and Major Frost's team will make up the Bravo team. The two teams will divide and assess the situation accordingly. The team closest to the last know location will be responsible for getting them to the safe room below the castle dubbed 'The Treehouse'. The other team will be responsible for driving back the opposing force from the city. Both teams are authorized to repel the threat with extreme prejudice. That's all I have for this brief. Any questions or concerns?"

Nobody bothered to answer, and I took that as an opportunity to look at my watch. '1537 huh?' The day was almost over, but the ominous feeling I had during the brief had yet to leave me. I couldn't quite place it, but it felt as if somehow the outcome of this mission was going to change us all in some way. I let that thought leave me as I went to grab a bite to eat. 'I wonder if Hiccup had any luck in getting those new recruits ready. I guess tomorrow we'll see.'


	11. The Return

**A/N: Apologies about the long delay in chapters. I've re written this five times, and now have finally gotten it where I like it. The following chapters will not take near this long to complete or update. The reason this did, is because it's going to set up a lot of character development in the coming chapters. Be warned this chapter is more graphic than some of the previous ones. Anyway, without further ado, here's the story.**

 **Chapter 11—The Return**

 **Castle Courtyard**

 **03JUL24—0912**

 **Elsa POV**

The giddiness from this morning's revelation has yet to subside. One glance at my calendar and clock was all the motivation I needed to jump out of bed and begin my day. 'Today's the day Hiccup and the others return from their little training trip in the mountains. I can't wait to see what kind of shape the soldiers I sent with them are in. I wonder if the month was enough time to whip them into shape.' The thoughts flew through my mind as I stood in the courtyard awaiting the approach of the helicopter that took them from here a month ago. I heard someone walk up beside me as I broke myself out my thoughts.

"Good morning, Elsa" said Anna. I turned my head toward her "good morning Anna." We stood in a comfortable silence for a few moments, before Anna spoke up once more. "So Elsa, do you think a month is enough time to get the men ready for what seems an imminent attack?" "I was wondering the same thing Anna, but from the looks of things I wouldn't put it past any of them to be able to do it." We didn't have time to discuss it any further when the sounds of chopping wind came rushing through the courtyard.

I watched as the helicopter came into view around the North Tower. A giddy feeling began to creep into my chest as I watched it make its approach into the courtyard. I felt the wind begin to pick up as the helicopter began to get closer and closer. Finally, it reached the ground, and sparing no time the pilot powered down the rotors to idle to allow the passengers to exit. I watched the doors for what seemed like hours as the anticipation grew. As I waited my mind once again drifted to the brown haired man who agreed to protect both mine and my sister's lives. Once again the giddy feeling I experienced earlier returned.

I didn't have long to dwell on the thought as the doors to the aircraft finally opened. A few tense moments passed as no one exited the aircraft. As soon as the questions began to ring out in my head, the first of the passengers made themselves known. I watched in awe as the men I sent began to disembark the helicopter. All of them seemed to hold an aura about themselves, despite looking exhausted, that showed immense change. It was like looking at two sides of the same coin, but what really surprised me was when Captain Brownfield walked off with Hiccup. It was easy to tell who received a majority of the "training" as they called it. I heard Anna shuffle next to me as she spoke "wow. That's Captain Brownfield? He looks like a different person…well not different, but different. You get what I'm trying to say right?"

Unbeknownst to us the two men had cleared the distance between the four of us and were listening as Anna spoke. Hiccup took no hesitation to speak out as he responded with a chuckle "no Anna, we're not quite sure what you mean. Care to explain?" Anna, not expecting Hiccup to be that close already, let out an undignified "eep". I found myself unable to restrain my laugh as Anna turned to Hiccup with a pout adorning her face. Hiccup seemed unfazed by the pout, if the grin on his face was anything to go by, and in turn only increased my laughter.

Captain Brownfield spoke up "I'm glad to see you noticed improvement in the detail Princess. It seems Lieutenant Commander Haddock is quite the teacher." Hiccup gave a curt nod and replied "thank you Captain." Captain Brownfield looked toward me "My Queen, if I may, I will take my leave so that I may get settled and begin working on a training regimen for the rest of the men." I gave a nod of confirmation as I spoke "very well Captain. I look forward to seeing the results soon." "Very well my Queen" he said promptly before he turned and made his leave. I noticed Anna hug Kristoff as soon as he walked over to us. He stiffened slightly due to the unexpected contact, but quickly returned the hug.

I turned to face Hiccup, but restrained myself from hugging him, instead I engaged him with a question. "What do you say we take this welcoming party indoors? I love the sound of a helicopter as much as the next girl, but it doesn't make for the best reunion conditions." Hiccup sheepishly looked at me "that sounds like a splendid idea." I heard him shout over the rotor sounds to Kristoff and Toothless "you're dismissed. Go enjoy your R&R, because it's well deserved. Remember we pick up rotation at 0500 tomorrow." I heard both men reply with an enthusiastic "right", but the look on their faces said otherwise.

We began our walk inside as I let Hiccup lead the way. He took us through the kitchen and grabbed a Bud Lite on his way to the common area. I can feel my face slightly scowl at his drink choice. I was quick to remedy my look before he noticed my distaste. I gave my head a small shake as we made our way to the group of couches and took a seat. I heard the can he was holding make a pop noise as he flicked the top open. Without even having to look at him I could tell he was enjoying the bitter tasting alcoholic beverage.

After a few sips of his drink he turned his attention to me and spoke "so Elsa, how have things been? Well aside from the fact that a group of terrorists want your head and will stop at nothing to get you." He could tell I was not impressed with his very dry attempt at a joke when he replied "sorry, bad joke." I did answer his initial question. "Things went well here, with the exception of an incident that requires your attention." I could see him nod his head. Knowing I had his full attention, I continued "a couple of days ago an elementary school was the target of a car bombing."

I could see him tense a little at the news, and after a momentary pause 'probably to collect his thoughts' he spoke. "How many?" I did my best to hide the sadness in my expression and voice. My best attempts failed me as I answered him. "Right now, reports are in at 115 confirmed dead, 32 severely injured, and 14 with minor injuries." "Jesus Christ." I heard him say in surprise as he let me continue. "The closest description of the incident is comparable to the Oklahoma bombing."

He let out a heavy sigh as he pondered over the information. "Anything else I should be made aware of?" I let a moment go by before I answered him "yes actually, a few of your men got with the group of SAS operatives and formulated a plan to prepare for the worst. I know that they should probably notify you first, but these are my people were talking about here. As a leader, I ask that you stop these men at all cost; but as your friend, I beg you to take care of my people. My life means nothing if I can't keep my country and its residents safe. Once more, I ask you, please train those men so that when you leave I won't have to worry about terrorist cells or another country's invasion force. Well, at least not as much."

I could see a small smile adorn his handsome face as he spoke to me. "Elsa, relax. My men and I are not just going to up and abandon your country like that without creating some countermeasures. I know it wouldn't sit right with any of us. Plus, I'd hate to see what Anna would do to poor Kristoff if we couldn't protect you and your subjects. I know this has to be hard for you, and trust me when I say that I know what it's like to lose someone under your command. It's never easy to see something like this happen, especially when you felt that you could have done more. Trust me when I say that you're doing everything you can to stop these men. However, I'm not going to sit here and lie to you either. When Black decides to make his move, and he will, things are going to become very unpleasant. More people are going to die, on both sides, but none of it is going to be your fault."

I instantly cut him off "how can you say that?! Of course I'm at fault! These men are after me, and my people are going to suffer for it. I…" "NO!" the tone in his voice left no more room for argument at the moment. "Men like this are after power, regardless of who is sitting on the throne they would attempt this. If anything, I made it harder on your people when my team arrived." I could feel a bit of confusion rise up at his words. As if sensing it he clarified "Pitch holds a grudge against all of us on the team, but myself especially. He can't stand the fact that it was our team that threw him from his seat of power in the Middle East. It also doesn't help that I was the one who killed his brother during the raid."

I saw him shift the weight from his left leg to his right, almost subconsciously. I decided to question him about it a little more. "Hiccup, what exactly happened between you, Pitch, and Drago?" His eyes closed for a long minute as a heavy sigh once again escaped his lips. At first, I began to wonder if I spoke too soon, and if he was even going to tell me. Before long though, he began "Elsa, what I'm going to tell you is not exactly pleasant nor is it pretty. About three to three and a half years ago the team and I were assigned a mission in the Hindu Kush mountain range in northern Afghanistan. I was just a junior office at the time…"

 _ **Flashback**_

 _ **Hindu Kush Mountain Range**_

 _ **17SEP21—1843 HRS.**_

 _ **Hiccup POV**_

 _I looked at the team one more time as I spoke over the sound of the rotors. "Alright men, we are pursuing a HVT by the name of Pitch Black. Not much is known about his origin or background, however we do have his picture and biometrics." I showed the team a picture of the man one last time as the pilot spoke over the headsets. "Alright guys, this is as high as I'm going to take you. Any higher and the altitude gets too thin to achieve lift." I gave a subconscious nod as I spoke to the team "you heard him guys. This is the last stop, the rest of the trip is going to be made on foot." I turned my attention to the pilot "Bear, go ahead and set us down somewhere so we can kick off this party." I hear him come over the comms "roger Hic, got prime real estate set up for just the occasion."_

 _The helo began a rapid decent to a small patch of open rocky terrain. As soon as we touched down I gave the order to disembark. I walked off the helo last, scanned the area, then gave Bear a proper send off. I watched as he took off into the distance and past the adjacent peak. Once they were clear I turned to my team and began issuing orders. "I want a three meter jagged spread. I received a chorus of "roger" as we began our trek._

 _ **Flashback Break**_

By the time nightfall had arrived we had already made good time. We set up camp for the night and took turns as look out. Elsa took the opportunity to get a word in, "Is it common to be dropped that far from your mission location?" I nodded "generally we want the element of surprise on our side. Sometimes we don't even get a helo to drop us that far. We were just lucky Bear owed me a favor." I said with a small chuckle. "Anyway where was I? Oh, right the morning after the first hike."

 _ **Flashback Continued**_

 _I woke to the sound of Toothless rousing the others. I quickly wiped the sleep from my eyes, grabbed my gun, and hopped to my feet. "Morning." I was met with a chorus of "morning" and a couple of groggy groans. "Alright, glad to see you're all rested. We have another mile to go before we reach our destination. Powder your feet and beat your meat, because we leave in 10 mikes. God knows this will be the last chance you'll have for a while." A round of chuckles made its way through the group along with the sounds of confirmation._

 _Roughly an hour later we arrived at our destination. It was a cave entrance leading to God knows where, and crawling with who knows how many insurgents. "Team, I want radio comms kept to a minimum, chances are they'll be no use to us anyway. Give yourself some space in here, last thing we need is a gaggle-fuck of bullet sponges." I didn't even need to look back to know that they heard me. Instead, I issued the order to "move."_

 _About five minutes into the cave I noticed a lack of resistance, hell a lack of everything for that matter. Apparently, Toothless noticed as well because he quietly made his over to me. "Hic, I don't like this. We should be shooting at something by now." As much as I wanted to agree with him, I reveled in the peace and quiet of the situation. "Don't pray for rain on a sunny day Tooth." We trekked another five minutes into the tunnel before I finally started to become unnerved by the situation._

 _I heard the new Doc 'what's his name again?' speak up "Sir, something's not right here. Didn't intel say that this cave was crawling with activity?" I was a little more inclined to agree with their suspicions this time. This time Kristoff spoke up "Sir, I think he's right. This place is giving me a bad vibe." I held up the team, but before I could get a word off two insurgents came from around a corner. Without hesitation we put the two men down. "Well seems like that may be the best bet." I heard Meathead say. With a nod of my head we made our way down the tunnel the two men just came from._

 _ **Flashback Break**_

I was halted in my story by a question posed by Elsa. "Hiccup, if I may, what compelled you guys to continue to check the tunnels even after encountering no enemies?" Without hesitation I responded "I'll answer that shortly Elsa." She gave a curt nod and waited for me to continue.

 _ **Flashback Continued**_

 _I had Kristoff take point with Meathead brining up six. About two minutes into the trek down the tunnel, an explosion rocked us all to the core. We all looked at one another to make sure no one was injured. I called out to the men "everyone alive?" Everyone responded with some kind of acknowledgement almost instantly. I heard Meathead call out to me over the sound of falling rocks "Sir, I think our two friends back there just met Allah. And the rocks trickling past my feet inclines me to believe that there's no going back the way we came." With a slight sarcastic tone I responded to him "thank you for that 'in-depth' analysis Meathead." I heard him whisper under his breath, but I wasn't quite sure what it was. 'Did he just call me an asshole? No, I must have misheard.' "Alright, you heard him, keep up the push forward."_

 _ **Flashback Break**_

Once more, Elsa had to get a word in "ok, so that answers my question about proceeding further into the cave, sorta. I thought this was going to tell me what was going on between you, Pitch, and Drago." I gave a sickly sweet smile "in due time Elsa. This is pertinent to what is to follow." Yet again she held her tongue and allowed to me continue, hopefully, uninterrupted.

 _ **Flashback Continue**_

 _Before long we found ourselves in a large cavern maybe two hundred yards across and about a hundred feet high. I looked around and noticed several large stalagmites coming from the overhead and reaching all the way to the cavern floor. A couple appeared to have toppled over and had to easily be within three feet in width. Kristoff pointed out a small light across the cavern "Hic, that appears to be our way out."_

 _I looked down to see about a ten foot drop to the cavern floor below. "Looks like once we drop down, there's no way of getting back. The walls are too steep and slick to climb back up, and I'd rather not forego our gear." I went to make a move when Toothless stopped me. "Hic, I don't feel right about this." I turned and faced him "there's not many options here Tooth. We obviously can't go back the way we came, and I don't exactly see an exit sign or a fucking door out of here." "Fuck man, now I see why they put you in charge. God damned boy scout." I scowled at him "fuck you man. Now come on, we got to get the hell out of here." He looked at me and paused. He waited a few seconds before he spoke again "oh by all means, ladies first." I shot him a dirty look and flipped him the bird as I made the jump down._

 _I hit the ground hard 'fuck that hurt.' I heard Toothless call out "you good Hic?" I scanned around once and replied "yea, I'm good. Toss a few chem lights down here, it's dark as fuck." I heard him chuckle "don't you have a fucking flashlight?" I replied back "the beam only goes so far dumbass. Throw them as far as you can so I can scan before I give my position away." I heard him grumble and then speak to the others "you heard him, let 'em fly boys."_

 _A few moments later I could see the glow of chem lights about fifty yards in front of me. I popped my head from behind cover then sent the "all clear" to the guys. Seconds later I heard a series of thumps followed by several groans. In the dark I heard Kristoff speak "damn that hurt, but it looks like the further ahead we get the lighter it gets." I looked around a little more thoroughly this time and notice there was a lot of cover for up to about a hundred yards. 'The cover starts to thin out as we pass the hundred yard mark. If we get caught in a pinch out there we're finished.'_

 _I noticed the cover was thicker on the right side of the cavern. I made my voice know to the men once more "ok, looks like the cover is heavier on the right. We're going to stagger and remain close to the wall. At the first sign of trouble, find the closest rock and keep your head down." With a calming breath I gave the order to move._

 _After the first hundred yards, I noticed we made it to the location where the cover began to thin substantially. Before I could issue my next order a set of floodlights illuminated the cavern and bullets began to fly. "Contact" I heard someone scream, but my body reacted before I even had to think about it. I jumped behind the nearest rock formation and returned fire towards the light. I kept letting rounds fly, as were the others, toward what we could see. Unfortunately, the lights made it difficult to differentiate enemies from rocks. A few seconds of continuous gun fire went on before I heard Meathead yell "grenade!" I dove to my left as he jumped over his rock and simultaneously me, before the explosion went off. For a few solid seconds my vison blurred and my ears rang as all sound became nothing. As I began to regain my bearings I heard Toothless calling out to me from a newly formed hole in the wall. "….up….Hi….Hic…move…..Hic we gotta move!" I staggered to my feet as sounds returned to me, but before I could make it to the new tunnel I was attacked by an enemy. He engaged me in a hand to hand battle, but I was having none of that now. I instantly grabbed my knife from my sheath and stuck it in his neck. I noticed a piece of paper sticking out of his right breast pocket. 'Is that a CIA letterhead?' Without a second though I grabbed the piece of paper and stuck it in my pocket as I made my way over to the others._

 _Toothless was quick to grab me and pull me behind cover as he spoke "shit…" I heard a bullet wiz by as we both ducked and he continued on "…I thought you might have been hit." Before I could respond Meathead called over to us "looks like I found our saving grace. This new tunnel leads down and out." With no hesitation I gave my orders "move now! Get out of the cavern as fast as possible, and…" Another bullet wizzed over my head as I ducked once more. "…And cover our six. Take Sven with you, the rest of us will be right on your ass!" He gave a crisp nod, turned to Sven, and took off down the tunnel with him._

 _An idea hit me as soon as I saw them leave. 'I hope this doesn't come back to bit me in the ass.' I moved to a rock slightly farther down the tunnel next to Kristoff. "Kristoff, you have that C4 on you?" He dropped back down behind cover as Toothless began putting rounds down range. "Yea, I never leave home without it." 'Ok, let's hope this works.' "I need every last bit, rigged to one detonator." I heard him shuffle through his pack as he spoke "right, give me a few minutes." Without looking at him I responded "you've got forty five seconds." I didn't listen to what he had to say after that as I heard Toothless call out "dry."_

 _I took that as my cue to pop from cover and get my weapon down range. As I did I called to Toothless "fall back to us and reload." As soon as he was clear of the fatal funnel I began squeezing the trigger. One by one enemies attempting to enter the tunnel fell at its entrance. I was careful to make every shot count, so that Toothless could reach cover and be ready when I ran dry. After I dropped a few more enemies, I noticed my mag began to run dry. 'A couple more and I need to reload. And what the fuck is taking Kristoff so long?!' I neutralized a few more of the fuckers when my time to reload came up. I ducked down; simultaneously, Kristoff peaked over the top and began to fire. As he did he spoke to me "the C4 is ready for you, but if I may ask, what the hell do you have planned with that." I grabbed the prepped plastic explosive as I replied "no time, just get back to the formation behind us as soon as I pop. And take Toothless with you." "Right."_

 _After he acknowledged me, we switched positions and I once again began taking the lives of those against me as Kristoff grabbed Toothless and fell back. A few moments later, they called back to me "SET!" I dropped behind cover as they began to put rounds into the mouth of the tunnel. Without hesitation I grabbed the 5 pounds of C4 and threw it towards the mouth of the cave. As soon as I let it go, I grabbed the detonator and hauled ass to the rock formation next to the other two. "Heads down!" Once I heard them stop shooting, I detonated the C4._

 _After a few seconds, everything got quiet. I took the chance to peek around the rock I was sitting behind, and was relieved to see that the C4 had the desired effect. A shaky breath later I yelled out to the other two "you guys alright?" A couple of chuckles made their way to my ears overlapping a nervous tone. I heard Toothless speak "holy shit! I feel sorry for the poor bastards who got caught in that." I used a few moments to catch my breath before I replied "alright enough of that. That's not going to hold them for very long; we need to move. We need to regroup with the others and get an exfil out of here. This shits already gone too far south." Kristoff rose to his feet as he spoke "right, we don't have very long. I'd rather be gone before they can regather their forces." With those final words said we began to make our way down the tunnel and to the exit. 'Hopefully.'_

 _Ten minutes later we made our way to the end of the tunnel and out into the sunlight. I saw no sign of the other two so I called out "PBR." A short moment later I heard "piss water" followed by some rustling of rocks under boots. Meathead approached me "what happened to our guests? We had a lovely party set up for them." I looked to where he was gesturing to see several M18 Claymores set in advantageous positions. I turned back to them "sorry fellas, they declined the invitation. They wanted to bring too many guests." I spotted a crumbling village a little ways down the hill 'that looks like a good place to take stock of our gear and radio in.' "Ok, were going to move down to the village, take stock, and call for our ride."_

 _We made our way into a little rundown home on the outer edge of the village. Meathead spoke his thoughts "the village appears to be enemy-less, for now at least." I noted his observation as I passed out my orders "right, Meathead keep a look out. Sven, get on with Godfather and get us an exfil." While, those two took care of that I took the opportunity to look at the letter I grabbed off of the insurgent's body. I took a moment to read the letter fully, but it appears to have been coded. The only thing I knew for certain was that someone sold us out, and that they had intel on all American operations in the Middle East. 'Shit, this is bad. They could cripple several operations with this kind of info.'_

 _I looked up to see Sven walking over to me "Hic, bad news. We're still too high for a helo to land. We have to head to the base of the village and do a hot load." I couldn't help the groan that escaped my lips "fuck, I hate hot loads." Meathead grabbed my attention before I could ponder on that any longer "yo Hic, I've got worse news. Seems our 'party guests' have brought some serious company, and are sweeping the village. We're not making it to the bottom without one hell of a fight." 'Son of a bitch! This sucks.' "Sven, eta on the chopper?" He turned his head to me "I don't know, it was hard enough just getting a signal out. We're in no position to receive a signal, we need to move further down." I let out a sigh "this just keeps getting worse. Fuck it, everyone load up. We're moving down to the base of the village. At least there we may get an evac; if we sit here we'll just end up dead." Toothless stopped me for a moment "so what's the plan then? Just go down there and sit like ducks till the chopper arrives, if it even does?" I nodded my head "unless you have a better idea?" I waited for a moment before I continued "yea, I didn't think so."_

 _I turned to the team as I spoke "let's get a move on guys." I heard the shuffle of feet as the men stacked up on the door leading down to the village. Meathead, at point, gave the door a solid push and peeked around the corner. "Clear" sounded out form the head of the team as we began to move. We made it twenty feet from the door when bullets began to scream by us from our six. I heard a yell accompanied by another voice saying "shit! Take cover!" I didn't need to even think about it as I hauled ass toward the nearest building. I heard a voice call out "Doc" from an adjacent house. I saw Sven attempt to move out the back door before a group of bullets pushed him back inside. "Shit, Hic we've got more in the tree line to our right." 'Fuck, this is turning out to be a shitty day.' Meathead made his way over to Sven "Doc, I'm going to provide you cover. Get over there and help whoever that is out." "Right, don't miss." "I'll try heh. Move on my signal." I continued to put rounds down range in an attempt to slow the frontal advancing force._

 _Simultaneously as I was putting fire forward, Meathead opened fire to the right to cover Sven's move to the next building. I heard Meathead call out "he made it." I replied swiftly "good, as soon as Sven says they're ready to move, we'll haul ass down to the base of the village." I called out the window near me "you hear that?!" I heard what sounded like Toothless call back "yea, we got you. Sven says give him thirty more seconds." "Deal" I replied back. "Thirty seconds Meathead." I heard a "roger" come back my way._

 _A mere thirty seconds later Sven let us know they were ready to move "Hic, were good over here, but cover is diminishing, we need to move." Sparing no time I gave my orders "ok, were going out the back. They're on our right flank, and closing fast from the front. Sven give that radio to Kristoff. Kristoff, you're sole purpose is our ride. Now everybody move." All at once we moved from the two houses as bullets rained passed our heads from the right and behind. On our run to the base of the village we encountered a few patrols that were quickly disposed of. Finally, we made it to the base of the village._

 _Kristoff called out to me "Hic, we have a friendly 46 on station, but it's going to take a couple of minutes to get here." I absorbed the information "shit, let's hope we can hold out that long." I noticed the advancing force was getting closer now, and ammo supplies were beginning to run low. "Guys, make use of your rounds. This is all we have till our pick up." We progressed a little further down the mountain side till we reached a steep cliff drop and a small goat pass. We all took cover behind rocks and continued to fire down range in an attempt to slow the enemy advance. It turned out to be a futile effort as our rounds began to expend quickly._

 _I heard a yell to my left as Meathead took a round to the left leg "Fuck, you fucking goat fucker." Sven moved into assist as Kristoff provided cover along with myself and Toothless. The enemy continued their advance, and was almost on top of us when the sound of chopping wind echoed around the mountain tops. A voice came over the comms that simply stated "HEADS DOWN!" No one needed to be told twice as we all dropped to the deck. The next thing we heard was the sound of a .50 cal machine gun ripping though the enemies closest to us. The gun continued to fire on the enemy as the chopper's rear hatch set down on the edge of the cliff. I took this as my cue "move to the chopper!" Meathead grabbed Kristoff along with Sven and helped him onto the chopper. However, as Toothless and I made our way to the helo a RPG flew over our heads and hit the rear rotor housing._

 _A voice came over the comms "shit, were going to have to bug out. We can't maintain this altitude any longer." The helo began to descend away from the mountain as Toothless called out "fuck, wait!" It was in vain as the helo disappeared beyond the tree tops. I moved back to cover as did Toothless "Tooth, we need to get outta here. Quick the goat pass!"_

 _We made good time as we took off down the goat pass with the enemy hot on our heels. A few minutes down the goat pass the terrain began to get steeper. Bullets continued to wiz by our heads as we moved as fast as our bodies would take us. We could feel the stain on our muscles as we willed them to move. I heard a small groan of pain as a round shot by. "Tooth, you good?" I yelled over the sound of the bullets. He responded "keep going! I'm good, little fucker just grazed me."_

 _After a few more steps we were forced to make a hard stop as the goat pass came to an abrupt halt. I looked over the edge to see a 50 foot drop into a group of trees. Luckily, the trail behind us had gone quite for a minute, but we didn't let that fool us. I looked to Toothless and could see he was thinking the same thing I was. "It won't be long before they catch up." I saw Toothless give a small nod as he spoke "yea, I don't think we'll have long to think of a plan."_

 _Luck seemed to be against us as a yell was heard in the bushes not far behind us. "Looks like we have no time." Once more we glanced at one another then back forward. Toothless spoke "see you at the bottom." With that said he took a step and aimed for the trees. I followed shortly after, with only one thought on my mind. 'Fuck this is gunna hurt.'_

 _The fall only lasted a few seconds as the tree tops rushed towards me quickly. I saw Toothless disappear behind the foliage as I followed quickly after. I could feel branches hit several parts of my body as I continued to descend. Suddenly, a searing pain coursed through my left leg as a loud snap was heard. The resulting impact caused my body to tumble and flip over as I watched the ground approach. The last thing I remember was seeing Toothless hit the ground before darkness overcame me._

 _I woke up to Toothless shaking me and yelling "get up!" A groan escaped my lips as I struggled to sit up. "Fuck Toothless, what happened?" A jolt of pain seared through my leg again. I looked down and saw a splint around my leg and quickly put two and two together. "Hic, you're kinda fucked up." I shot him a deadpan look and spoke "no shit, Sherlock." Toothless looked back at me "yea, and we don't have much time before they make it here. We need to get a move on."_

 _I bit back a hiss as Toothless helped me stand. "Fuck Hic, you need to lay off the alcohol." I shot a short reply back "fuck you, of course I'm not going to be much help when I'm broke dick." "Hic, keep an eye over your shoulder." Once more we began our move to the lower exfil. About fifteen minutes into our trek we heard noise in the distance behind us. "Fuck, these guys just don't give up." Toothless snipped back "that's the damn truth. We seem to have good distance between us and them though." "Yea, let's just hope it stays that way."_

 _Another ten minutes into our retreat we hit another problem. "Ah fuck" I heard Toothless all but scream. I looked down the cliff face and felt a sense of despair hit me hard. 'I definitely won't make it out of the jump this time, even if it is only twenty feet.' I heard noise behind us, this time much closer than before. Without a second thought I made a decision, one I knew I would come to regret. I looked at Toothless with a solemn look as I pulled a couple of papers from my vest. Toothless looked at me slightly confused as he spoke "Hic, what is that?"_

" _Tooth, I picked this off one of the guys inside. It holds information on several up and coming US operations. It needs to get to command…And you're going to be the one who takes it there." He looked at me astonished as he spoke "you mean WE are going to take it there." I shook my head "no I mean YOU." The noise was much closer now, as if it was just beyond the bush. Toothless looked at me and shook his head as he spoke "I'm not leaving you here." I stopped him "You know as well as I do, I won't make that jump, and there's no going the other way." He looked at me sternly "No Hic, I won't do it!" I looked at him sternly back "It's not a choice, it's an order."_

 _Just as the insurgents were about to breach the bush, I faced Toothless, stuffed the papers in his vest, and shoved him over the edge with his rifle. I knew that would be the last I saw of Toothless, probably ever. Without a second thought, I propped myself against a rock, checked my mag, took aim and waited. No shortly after I did, several enemies broke through the brush. I took no time in dropping as many as I could to give Toothless the much needed escape time. The enemy didn't seem to take too kindly to that, took cover, and began to fire back. Rounds wizzed by me as I continued to put down anyone who showed themselves. 'Seems like they're blind firing. Let's keep it that way.' I didn't waste time reloading the rifle as I switched my pistol. I drew quickly, flicked the safety and made sure every round was true to its target._

 _I didn't see the enemy to my right until it was too late, but I was determined not to let him get the better of me. He dove at me as I pulled my knife from its sheath and reversed its grip. He had no time to react as I drove my knife into his neck. I saw the next guy move in close, but was a little more reserved. He charged in as did another enemy from my left. I took no time in slicing the throat of the first, but before I could turn to the second I was kicked flat on my back._

 _The second enemy jumped on me after he kicked me and threw a few punches at my face. Despite my leg, I managed to flip him over and drive my knife into his chest. I turned to my next enemy, but before I could get a swing off my wrist was caught. I didn't let it phase me as I threw a few left handed punches in an attempt to release my wrist. An enemy seemed to notice my injury and took no time in exploiting it. I felt an excruciating pain sore through my leg as an insurgent stepped on it. The momentary lapse in my actions was all the rest needed to capture me._

' _Fuck I hope Tooth was able to make it back. One life is not worth several hundreds.'_

 _ **Flashback Break**_

I looked at Elsa "no matter how many times I told myself that, I knew that life was only going to get harder." She looked at me slightly confused as I continued on "they were going to use every means to extract any information they could from me. Ha. Little did they know, I wasn't going to break so easy." Before I could continue Toothless entered the room and made his way over to me. "Hic, SOCOM is on the line. Cap says it's urgent." I nodded and turned to Elsa "Sorry to cut this short, but as you can see something has come up." She nodded at me "right, I'll let you tend to your business." With that said I made quick haste to the door and on my way out.

 **Toothless POV**

I heard the tail end of the conversation Hiccup and Elsa were having when I walked in. I approached Elsa and picked up on the touchy subject. "I see he's telling you the story." She simply replied with a nod. After a moments pause I continued on "I can't really fill you in on what happened while he was in captivity. Simply because even I don't know all the details, but I can pick up the story from the time we received notification that he was alive…If you'd like that is." Her head shot to me as she replied with a quick "yes!" I felt a small smile grace my lips. 'She's completely head over heels for the poor man.' "Ok, let's have a seat and I'll try to continue where he left off.

 _ **Flashback Continued**_

 _I was flung from the cliff with my rifle in my hands as Hiccup turned to face certain death. I landed hard on my right side, and shot my gaze back to the ridge I just came from. I could make out the distinct sounds of Hiccup's rifle going off. I hopped to my feet clutching my weapon in my left arm. Shortly after standing up, the sounds of gun fire stopped. 'My worst fear has come to fruition it seems.' I took cover in some brush as I grabbed the handful of papers that cost my friend his life. 'What's so God damned important about these fucking papers?!' After a quick look I could see why Hiccup was so urgent to get them away from the enemy. 'We were fucking sold out?! And it cost Hiccup everything!'_

 _It took a moment for me to calm myself, as I realized that what Hiccup did, was the best for all. I stuffed the papers back into my vest and looked to my watch. 'I need to make it to the exfil in the next hour or I'll be fucked and Hiccup's sacrifice will have been in vain.' I pulled the map from my pouch and got a quick bearing and desired heading. 'Good, I'm not far from the extract.' I decided to get a move on before the enemy could regather their bearings and come after me again. As soon as I began to move I tapped the radio attached to my neck._

 _I heard a small beep in my ear as joy rushed through me. Without a second thought I attempted to hail command. "Odin, this is Dragon two. Checkmate. I need immediate exfil. How copy?" My heart dropped a little as I heard static come back. 'Fuck! Come on!' "I say again, Odin this is Dragon two. Checkmate. I need exfil. How copy?" This time silence reached my ears. A few moments went by as nothing came back over the radio. Just when I was about to give up hope I heard a saving grace._

" _Dragon two this is Raider five. Did I read right?" 'Raider? What are the Marines doing out this way? Fuck it.' "Raider five, Dragon two. Checkmate. I say again, checkmate." A moment passed when the pilot came back. "Copy Dragon two. We've got a full chalk. We can get you the jump, but it's gotta be fast." I sense of relief hit me as he spoke. "I copy Raider five. I will pop green to signal." He shot back once more "Copy Dragon two, but make it quick."_

 _Ten minutes later I found myself at a large clearing with a decent amount of cover on all sides. I grabbed a green smoke marker and tossed it into the center of the clearing. "Raider five, Dragon two. Smoke popped." I got an immediate reply "Copy Dragon two, hold tight." Things went quiet after that as I hunkered down in a small foxhole. A few minutes passed by as I awaited the approach of my ride._

 _Finally, after what felt like forever, I heard the sound of rotors in the distance. Unfortunately, so did the group that was tailing me. Almost instantly, the sounds of gunfire rang across the clearing as rounds ricocheted off some small rocks in front of me. Without hesitation, I returned fire and radioed to my ride. "Raider five, the LZ is hot. Several tangos in the tree line to the East." I didn't wait for a reply as I continued to put fire down range._

 _Not long after my call, the helo made itself visible over the top of the tree line to the north. It made a pass as the gunners on both sides opened fire on the eastern tree line. They set themselves down, dropping the rear door in the process, as the gunners continued to suppress the enemy. I made a beeline into the chopper and made it aboard right as it touched down._

 _ **Flashback Ends**_

Elsa had a look of shock on her face as I wrapped up the first leg of my story. A gasp alerted me to another presence in the room. At some point Anna had made her way into the room. _She may have been here the whole time, who knows?_ "Well Anna, why don't you come join us?" It sounded like a muffled curse came from the young woman. She made her way over to us from the opposite side of the room. Elsa looked at her sister with slight anger. Elsa spoke to her sister as she approached "how long have you been there?" Anna sheepishly rubbed her arms as she answered "uh….almost the whole time." I could tell Elsa was upset about that. Before the two could get into an argument I stepped in "well, what's done is done. I'm sure Hiccup would have told you his story regardless whether he knew you were there or not. And chances are, if I knew you were there then he did too."

I continued my story as the two women found their seats "Hiccup had been missing about a month and a half. We searched that mountain range for about 2 weeks before the search was called off. We all thought the worst had happened to him. That is until, about a month after he went missing, we received solid notification that he was alive. That day is burned into my mind…

 _ **Flashback**_

" _Come on Sven, one more. Give me one more." I spoke as Sven repped out another press. "ARGHHH!" he yelled as he pressed on more out and racked the bar. "Thirteen, one more than yesterday." I said to him as I pulled him off the bench. He smiled as sweat poured down his face. "If I keep this up, I'll beat your record." I gave a chuckle as I spoke "only in your dreams." Before we could continue our banter Kristoff came running in. "You guys need to see this." He said as he walked over to the nearest television and flipped through a few channels._

 _The two of us looked at each other then back to Kristoff. I asked the question on both our minds "Kristoff, what's going on?" He didn't answer as he landed on the news channel he was looking for and turned to us. "This." I turned my attention to the television."_

 _On it was a captured American solider with a bag over his head. "Shit, they got another one. I tired of this fucking scare tactic these fuckers use." Sven said with anger. It was at this point Meathead made his way over to the little group we had. Several marines in the weight room with us also tuned in to what was on. Many wearing faces of anger much like Sven. However, what really made our blood boil was what happened next._

 _As their "message" was being translated across the screen, they removed the bag from the head of the solider. I felt the air leave my lungs and a cold chill enter my body at what I saw. The bag revealed a face most of us thought we'd never see again. "HICCUP?!" Almost all of us said in unison. A few of the Marines who worked with us also were wearing shocked looks._

 _As I viewed the television I got a good look at Hiccup. He was beat to hell and sporting quite a few bruises. Blood leaked from his mouth and nose signifying his most recent beating, and one eye was almost swollen shut. His leg was in a crude splint just below the knee, obviously one he put on himself. I glanced at the text below as it scrolled across the bottom. It read 'this infidel refuses to tell us what we want to know, so maybe you will.'_

 _The man on the screen identified himself as Pitch Black, then turned around to face Hiccup one more. "Drago." Pitch called out to a man just off the screen. "If he refuses once more, I want you to extract the information." The unknown man appeared just behind Hiccup and replied "with pleasure." A Marine in the gym spoke out "hey, I recognize him! He works for the CIA, he specializes in torture." The only thought going through all our heads at the moment was 'oh fuck.'_

 _Pitch spoke to Hiccup now "now infidel, I want the name and location of the person who has my document." When Hiccup finally spoke it was with the voice of a broken man. "Henry Haddock, 364633722624." Pitch shook his head and spoke as he would to a child. "Now Henry, we've been over this. You know that's not what I want." This time Drago stepped up and spoke "enough Pitch. They're trained not to give up information. He'll just continue to repeat his name and ID number. Just let me do what I do best." Pitch spoke "very well Drago."_

 _Pitch then stepped off to the side of the room as Drago took center stage. He spoke to Hiccup "this is your last chance Henry. Tell the man what he wants to know, or I'm going to have to hurt you…real bad." Once again Hiccup mumbled "Henry Haddock…" this time Drago spoke over him. "Ok Henry, have it your way." Drago produced Hiccup's combat knife from across his back. Drago then turned to the camera and spoke to all of us watching. "This is what happens when you fail to give me what I want."_

 _He dragged the knife across Hiccup's chest creating a gash from collar bone to collar bone. Hiccup's face contorted in pain, but he did not yell out. Drago was unsatisfied with that reaction, so he took the knife and drove it straight into Hiccup's right shoulder. Once more, Hiccup's face showed extreme pain, but yet again he did not give in. It was easy to tell Drago's blood was boiling._

 _We all knew something worse was about to happen as Drago's face took on a sadistic smile. He kicked Hiccup's broken leg as he spoke "oh Henry, your leg seems to be causing you some pain. How about I take care of that for you." While still wearing his smile Drago crouched down next to Hiccup's leg._

 _ **Flashback Break**_

I had to pause for a second as the memory hit me like a freight train. Both the girls seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. 'I only hope they figure it out.' However, it seems my wish would not be fulfilled as Anna spoke up. "W-what happened next?" I could see the underlying fear in Elsa's eyes as she seemed to have put it together. It looked like she was just waiting conformation. I let out a sigh as I continued the story.

 _ **Flashback Continued**_

 _Drago tapped the back of the knife about three inches below Hiccup's left knee as he spoke. "This looks really painful Henry, it may even be infected. Let me help you with that." As soon as he said that he flipped the knife over in his hand. He began using the serrated edge of the blade to cut off Hiccup's leg. Slowly he sawed it like a woodworker would a simple log, smiling the whole time. We all stood there in shock as Hiccup's screams of pain echoed through the quite gym. Drago took five agonizing minutes to finish his "procedure"._

 _As soon as he was done he grabbed the leg, looked at the two men toward the back of the room, and stuck the knife in the now severed leg. As the two others approached he spoke to them "don't allow him to die. I want to have a little more fun with him before I allow him the luxury." The two men dragged Hiccup off the screen as Drago turned around to face us once more. "Let's hope the next one you send us is just as…exciting." As soon as he said that he held the leg up, smirked, and then turned off the camera._

 _ **Flashback Ends**_

I didn't need to see the looks on the girl's faces to know that they were having a hard time processing what I just told them. I gave them a few minutes before Elsa spoke. "How did you find him?" "I'm glad you asked. It took us a moment, but we soon realized the 'ID number' he gave wasn't actually his ID number. It was a geographic coordinate. 36 degree 46'33"N by 72 degrees 26'24"E. That's close to the peak of the Lunkho e Dosare mountain range. It took no time to assemble a team for a search and rescue operation. When we finally recovered him his condition was even worse. It was a hell of a firefight to recover him, even between our seal team and the recon guys that accompanied us.

Another voice made itself known "I was never happier to see a familiar face than I was on that day." I saw both girls' heads snap toward the door as Hiccup walked through. Elsa shot up and gave him a hug, almost like she would lose him if she let go. I could hear a few chocked sobs as she held him. He returned the hug as he spoke "now now, I didn't mean to upset you. Anyhow, I think it's time for us to all get some rest. It's late and I know were all tired." I glanced at the clock and confirmed my suspicions _oh shit, it's already 22?!_

I agreed with him none the less "I think I'm going to hit my rack. Anna, care for me to walk you back to your room." She nodded her head as she spoke "I'd like that Toothless." As we exited I could see Hiccup and Elsa close behind, most likely walking toward her room. A silent walk by all parties lasted all the way up till we both reached our destinations. Anna bid me a farewell and made her way into her room to bed.

I heard Elsa's door shut behind me as I turned to face Hiccup. We made our back to our rooms as I brought up what was on my mind. "Hic, she really cares for you." He stayed silent for a moment, but right before I thought he wouldn't answer, he spoke. "You're right. I think the feeling is mutual." I didn't say anything as we finished the rest of our walk. I let him ponder the questions I know were plaguing his mind. When we made it to or respective doors I bid him a goodnight, and turned in.

 **End…for now**


	12. Past Troubles

**A/N: Apologies about the long delay between chapters. A new career field was presented to me, and involved a lot of moving and going to school. However, I'm now stationary (for a while) at a new duty station. I have already started the next chapter, and it's coming along nicely. My next shift rotation will affect how soon I can push out chapters, so bear with me as I sort it out.**

 **Chapter 12—Past Troubles**

 **Castle Dining Hall**

 **04JUL24—0715 HRS.**

 **Elsa POV**

I had the worst night of sleep in years. I haven't slept that bad since the week of my coronation. _It's to be expected I guess. I'm sure Anna didn't fare much better after yesterday's story._ My suspicions were confirmed when I made my way down to the table for breakfast. When I arrived, Anna was sitting with her head hanging down, and her food untouched. I found my seat close to Anna, but just like her, I couldn't seem to find my appetite. The two of us sat in a stagnant silence for the better half of an hour, until Meathead and Sven came into the dining hall.

I popped my head up at the sound of the two of them entering the room. The two were chatting animatedly about something that I didn't bother to listen to. Both men stopped speaking when they noticed our presence. Sven decided to break the ice first "why so glum you two?" Anna piped up with a quick answer "just sick of being cooped up in the castle I guess." I could see the thought that crossed Sven's mind written on his face. He was quick to verbalize that thought "how about we take a stroll then?" Anna's face was alight with joy almost instantly as she turned and shot a look at me. I couldn't help the small smile that graced my face as I answered "sure. It is about time for the annual summer festival, if I'm not mistaken." Anna let out a girlish squeal as she remembered.

The two guys looked at us in confusion as Sven spoke "summer festival?" Anna immediately jumped into the conversation with a childlike joy "ohhh, it's only Arendelle's best festival of the year! It's our equivalent of your Fourth of July, except ours is a week long." The two men just nodded in understanding as the connection was made clear to them. Sven looked at the both of us and spoke "it seems like it's time for us to go see how the preparations are proceeding." Meathead threw a smile on his face and said "I'll grab my gun!"

About thirty minutes later Anna and myself, along with our escorts, were walking passed the palace gates and out into the bustling streets that were quickly filling with patrons of all sorts. From high above the city I could see thousands of tourists among my many native residents. I turned my head to Sven "the festival kicked off today. Tourists from all around the globe come to participate in the festival. It's one of our biggest revenue generators of the summer season." I could see Sven and Meathead both wearing cautious looks. Meathead took the opportunity to voice what was on his mind "Elsa, while this is a great morale booster for your county, especially in light of all that's happened recently, but is it wise to be so vulnerable in a situation such as this?"

I couldn't quite follow his train of thought with that last sentence "what do you mean by that?" Meathead stopped for a second then continued on "Elsa, this would be a perfect opportunity for someone to make an attempt on your life. You need to be cautious during this event." I could feel my anger start to boil a little "what would you have me do? Sit inside and watch from afar?" Sven jumped in "he meant no disrespect Queen Elsa. We just wanted to make you aware of the concern. Our first priority is your overall safety accompanied by the safety of your sister."

I cooled myself off 'they make a good point though.' The next few hours were filled with pleasant conversation and light hearted activities. The two men with us, while looked relaxed, were ever on the alert for anything that might go wrong. It was going on five in the afternoon '1700 I think is what they call it' when we ran into the Jack "Frost". He was on a date with a dentist from the castle when he noticed us. He made his way towards us and waved a greeting, to which we all replied similarly.

Sven decided to break the ice "out with a nice lady I see." Jack gave a chuckle as the girl next to him blushed and gave a small giggle. When she noticed my presence, she gave a bow along with "my Queen." I offered a small smile and replied "relax Titannia, there's need for such formalities on this wonderful evening." Anna squeezed into the conversation "well don't let us keep you from your date." Jack replied with a short chuckle "nonsense, we were just making our way back to the castle, care to join us?" I looked at Titannia to see she was quite pleased with how things turned out. Before I could decline she spoke up "your majesty, I would be honored if you would make the walk back with us." With a swift nod and a slight squeal from Anna, we all began our trek back.

On our way back, we animatedly chatted about Titannia's date, one to which she was ecstatic about going on, and couldn't wait for the next. We could hear the guys slightly ahead of us talking about the same thing. 'Seems like a successful night for the both of them. Wonder if I could ever be like that?' Before I could get too far on that train of thought, Jack stopped short, almost causing Anna and I to run smack into his back. We could hear a muffled "oh shit" come from one of them, but it was hard to tell who. The three of us girls walked up next to the men, and each one of us followed their gaze to a couple of people just down the road.

Not far ahead of us was two individuals who appeared to be on a date. The male was appeared to be in his mid-twenties with black hair and a slightly rounded face. He was quite built, which was easy to tell through the tight t-shirt, and was sporting a stubbly beard. The man stood about 6 foot 2 inches tall. Next to him was a slightly shorter female, who probably only stood about 5 foot 7 inches. She had bright blonde hair and vibrant blue eyes. She had an athletic build about her which made it quite easy to tell she played some kind of sport. 'What's so special about that couple over there that's got these guys stopped dead in their tracks?'

Before I could get the chance to ask I overheard Jack ask Sven "shit, should we tell Hiccup?" I shot a confused look at Anna, who in turn, shot one back. Anna beat me to the punch and asked the question both of us had, "tell Hiccup what?" Both men looked apprehensive to answer the question as they glanced at each other. Sven sighed, almost as if he lost a mental battle with Jack. "The woman over there is the one who cheated on Hiccup, but the question lies 'why is she here'?" We found that we would receive our answer sooner than expected, as none other than Hiccup walked out of the store not far from them.

"Double shit" I heard Jack say as he quickly began to make his way over to the small group. We approached a conversation that had already began. As we walked up we could hear the female speaking "…at are you doing here?" Hiccup's voice held a tone of disdain as he replied "I'm on vacation. More importantly, what are you doing here?" She smiled, a smile that seemed a tad too forced, as she answered "I'm also here on vacation, my company had a drawing for two tickets to the summer festival here." Her smile widened a bit more as her male friend continued on "so Hiccup, where are you staying? That trashy little motel down the way? Or are you bedded in some cozy cardboard box in some alley?"

I felt a surge of rage race through me as I stood there listening to the three of them. 'Who the fuck does she think she is?!' Her next comment really lit a fire under me. "I heard you still dread the night you walked in on me and Eret here. Apparently, you never were able to get over me…" she let out a sigh then continued. "…if only you had come home twenty minutes later, you would have never even known." I had to commend Hiccup's resilience to the conversation, but even a blind man could see that last comment hurt him a little. I took that as my cue to step in as I cleared my throat.

"Ah, there you are my distinguished and revered guest. I fear we'd lost you to one of the fair maidens here." I shot a small smirk at the blonde-haired female before continuing on "alas, it seems the one you set your eyes on already has plans for the evening. No matter, I seem to have no escort, and I would be pleased if a MAN such as yourself would do me the honors this fine evening." I could see a flash of relief in his eyes as he gave a small bow and replied "of course, your majesty. I would be honored." He offered his arm to me, which I happily accepted. I snuck one last look at the shocked faces, before glancing to the man whose arm I now draped. I could feel an almost unnatural warmth spread through my body as I walked with him. Almost to the point I missed what he was saying "…didn't have to do that for me."

"Nonsense, I was happy to assist you." Once more the warmth spread through me. 'God, when did I become such a schoolgirl?' The seriousness in his voice brought me from my thoughts "Elsa, please be warned, Astrid is not the type who likes to lose. She will attempt to show you that she's top dog." I let out a small scoff as I replied "let her then, I love a challenge. Who dares, wins right?" It was at that point I remembered we weren't alone when Jack let out a "hell yea!" Hiccup just seemed to face palm as he let out a groan and spoke "don't tell me you like the Brits better?" I gave a confused look as I spoke "I thought that was the SEALs saying?" Jack let out a chuckle and replied "no, the SEAL saying is 'the only easy day was yesterday'."

I could feel the embarrassment flood my cheeks as Hiccup gave out a small laugh. "We'll chalk that up to a misunderstanding then." The rest of our walk back to the castle was enjoyable, but passed much to quickly for my taste. Upon our arrival to the castle Hiccup broke the peaceful silence lingering over us "Elsa, I must bid you all a good evening. I have to go speak with Toothless about a few things." I was slightly dejected upon hearing that, but managed to put on a small smile as I replied "very well Hiccup. Have a pleasant evening." He returned the smile before making his way across the castle courtyard and into a side entrance. I let out a small sigh, which happened to be heard by Meathead. "Don't worry Queen Elsa, he'll be alright." I turned my head toward the door he entered as I whispered "I hope so."

 **Hiccup POV**

I made haste to the operations room where I knew Toothless would be. My instincts were correct when I arrived about five minutes later to see him standing by the planning board. "I see you got the plans finished. Good, how soon till we put them in place?" I heard Toothless let out a chuckle "good to see you're still trying to sneak up on people. If you keep that up I might just have to replace that leg of yours with a wooden peg." At that both of us let out a hearty laugh. Toothless was quick to recover, and I was right behind him. We set right back into a serious chat as Toothless continued speaking. "To answer your question, the personnel are already on station and shifts are already in work. Nothing will happen at this summer festival without us knowing."

I couldn't help the sarcastic laugh that escaped my lips as Toothless turned to look at me. "If that was the case Tooth, then nobody told me." He shot me a confused look before I continued "seems that 'nothing' you're talking about was standing in the plaza no more than an hour ago." I could see the gears working in his head as he put the pieces together. It only took a few seconds for the realization to dawn on him "…oh shit…" He looked up at me before continuing "Jodie's here?" I left the question unanswered and hang in the air. Both of us knew the answer to the question already. A moment later he continued "I'm sorry bro, are you ok?" I simply nodded "yea man. I know it's been a couple of years, but she did me dirty, ya know? I don't know man, I thought it was all good, but seeing her hanging off his arm like that…and then having the gall to blame me…" I let out a small sigh as I continued "…I just need some time to gather my thoughts. Kinda, makes me wish we were back in the Middle East. Things were easy over there. Mission came in, mission got approved, infil, get shot at, shoot back, get our objective, and exfil. I don't know, it seemed easier there."

This time it was Toothless who let out the sigh before speaking "Hic, bro, you've been in the shit too long. When's the last time you just relaxed?...and I don't mean by hanging out in the ops center." I had to think about that one for a moment, but before I could reply Toothless continued "see, that's what I mean. You haven't done anything remotely relaxing since you went back and caught Astrid with that fuckboy. If you keep this up you're going to end up getting yourself killed." I pondered his words for a long time before replying "you're right man…I think some well needed R and R is deserving after this is all through."

I heard Toothless give a small chuckle to lighten the mood before he spoke. "Hell Hic, we might just be better of retiring after this." I gave a small smile in response. He continued on after a moment "seriously though, forget Astrid. She's probably only here for the festival and then she'll be on her way. Hell, the chance of you even seeing her again is slim to none. The shifts over the next few days will keep us all busy." I attempted to put Astrid to the back of my mind, but that was a task easier said than done. I decided a workout might help clear my head. I cleared my throat before speaking "I'll take into consideration your advice. I will try man, and a workout might help with that." I turned to leave, but stopped once I made it to the door and shouted back to Toothless "where did you put me in that rotation anyway?" I heard him chuckle and reply with "you'll see." I rolled my eyes at him and shot him the bird as I walked out listening to him laugh.

 **Castle Hallway**

 **05JUL24—0850 HRS.**

 **Elsa POV**

'Geez, that meeting seemed to take forever.' I spared a glance to my right and saw Anna had the same thought. Anna looked back at me and asked the question both of us had on our minds "breakfast?" I could hear Hiccup and Kristoff follow us out into the hall and I took no time in repeating the question to the two men, who both gave a curt nod and followed behind. The walk to the dining hall was peacefully quiet. 'I wonder how Hiccup is holding up?' However, before I could voice that thought we arrived at our destination.

Breakfast was a mostly quiet affair. However, that didn't keep me from sneaking glances toward Hiccup throughout the meal. I couldn't help but think about what that horrid woman said to Hiccup. It was still making my blood boil. 'Who the hell does she think she is?! For her sake, I hope our paths don't cross again.' I took a breath to cool my head before allowing my thoughts to move over to the summer festival as we wrapped up our breakfast. I turned to look at Hiccup as we all rose from our seats "Hiccup, I would like to discuss some things with you." I saw him turn his head toward me and give a slight nod "I was planning to go for a run. Would you like to discuss matters now, or wait till after my run?" I pondered the question for a moment before I had a splendid idea "actually, may I join you on your run?" I could see he wasn't expecting that answer as he replied "sure. Meet here in the yard in 15?" I gave a quick nod as I answered "ok. 15 it is then."

Fifteen minutes later I found myself down in the yard just behind the dining hall. I took one last look at my outfit, which consisted of a snug fitting light blue t-shirt, a pair of light blue runner shorts, and a pair of white Nike running shoes with a snowflake pattern on them. As if on cue, Hiccup walked out the door and into the yard. He was wearing an olive green long sleeve under armor shirt, a black glove on his right hand, a pair of camouflage pants, and a pair of tan boots. On his back was a black tactical backpack with a small hose coming out the side and up to his shoulder. I looked at him slightly confused as I posed my questions "why are you wearing your uniform? And what's with the backpack?"

He gave a slight laugh before he replied. "It's really just habit to run in my uniform. It's quite comfortable actually, plus I don't like showing off the gear." 'Gear? What Gear…Oh. How could I forget about that.' "And if you ask me I think the Type III's look cool. The thing on my back is called a Camelbak, and it's basically just a giant water bottle. Which reminds me…" He took his bag off and began digging through it. "…Where…Oh, here it is." He pulled out what looked like a small vest and handed it out toward me as he continued speaking. "Don't worry, it weighs practically nothing so you won't feel it while you're running."

I looked at him with a skeptical look as I replied "what is it exactly?" He gave a small laugh as he answered "right, probably should have said that sooner. This is a new ballistic vest invented by yours truly. It's a weightless metallic fluid, spread thin throughout the vest. It takes the impact of a round and disperses it throughout the rest of the vest to alleviate the amount of force done to your body. Think of a liquefied version of Captain America's shield that acts like an impact resin. However, it's only capable of stopping three 7.62 rounds in succession. Anything bigger than that is going to hurt…a lot."

I took the vest from him as I responded "are you sure your calling in life wasn't as an inventor instead of a SEAL?" He gave a small laugh before I continued "wait, where's your vest?" He simply tapped his chest as he replied "underneath the shirt. My bag also has a collapsed MP5K and five mags in it along with my radio. We have to be extra careful now that the summer festival is in full swing." A momentary pause filled the air before he continued "ok Elsa, ready to get a move on?" I gave a small nod and began jogging to the castle's rear gate.

We made our way out of the rear gate and down the small trail to the castle's private beach. Five minutes later we made it to the beach and turned right, since a cliff face was down to the left, and made our way to Arendelle's public beaches. About three minutes after we turned right I decided to speak to Hiccup. "Hey, Hiccup?" He answered with a simple "hm" and I took that as my que to continue "I just want you to know that if you need someone to talk to…you know…about the whole thing with Astrid…I'm here for you." He went silent for a long time. The only sounds that could be heard were the waves, our heavy breathing, and the slowly approaching public beach that seemed to be quite busy. At first, I thought I might have upset him, but that train of thought went quickly by the wayside when he finally spoke up. "Elsa…you don't know how much that means to me."

Our run took a peaceful silence after that, mixed with some small talk. About twenty minutes later we stopped and decided to take a break underneath a fishing pier. I looked back and saw the castle in the distance. I also noticed a few people looking at the two of us, but none decided to approach. I turned and asked Hiccup "how far from the castle are we?" He took a breath and replied "roughly about five miles. This seemed like a good turn around point." A good mood settled over the two of us. I decided to pose a question to Hiccup "hey Hiccup, want to go up to the boardwalk and grab a drink." He gave a small laugh then replied "sure, I need to make a head call anyway."

A small walk up the beach found the two of us at a familiar little beach store by the name of Oaken's. Oaken's was centered in between a male and female restroom, so while Hiccup walked off and did his thing, I went into Oaken's and got a water bottle. However, when I went outside, my heart dropped into my stomach. Standing in front of Hiccup was none other than the banshee from yesterday. 'Oh no. It seems like another one-sided argument has started up.' The second that thought rang out in my head, I noticed her other half walk up with a smirk on his face. 'Seems I need to make myself known.'

I walked up on the three of them and stood beside Hiccup as Astrid continued her rant. "…and here she comes." She turned her attention to me and continued "how does it feel your majesty to know you ended up with Hiccup the Useless?" I spared a glance to Hiccup, who was struggling to maintain a neutral face and posture. 'If looks could kill, she would be in a box already. Hiccup looks ready to dismember her.' Astrid continued on unfazed "nice vest. Did he make it for you? I bet he did. I bet he didn't tell you what some of his other inventions did though, did he?" At this point, Hiccup cut in with a low growl "don't go there Astrid." Immediately her boy toy cut in "don't cut her off when she's talking."

Astrid put a smirk on her face and once again proceeded to speak "yea. Ever wondered why Hiccup never brings up his mother?" Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Hiccup's face contort into rage as he cut in "Astrid don't!" Eret stepped in between the two of them, keeping his eyes on Hiccup the whole time and spoke over his shoulder to Astrid "go ahead babe. If this guy has a problem, then he can deal with me." Once more Astrid smiled and continued on "did you know that it was one of his 'inventions' that got his mother killed?" She then looked at Hiccup, smiled at him, and spoke "what's the matter Useless? Did I hit a sore subject?"

I put my hand on Hiccup's shoulder before he could do anything rash. It seemed to have the desired effect as Hiccup uncurled his hands, and relaxed slightly. He spared me a glance, without ever taking his eyes off the other two. I shot a glance back saying 'we'll discuss this later.' He seemed to understand and turned his full attention back to the two in front of him. Hiccup took no time in getting his response in "my apologies Queen Elsa. It seems our run was interrupted by the two lovely people." I heard a snort come from Eret as he replied "run? With the Queen? You're a cripple. You can't run." 'Ok, now that comment pissed me off.'

Hiccup grabbed my hand, and stopped me from doing something rash this time. He didn't miss a beat as he replied "once again I apologize Queen Elsa, but it seems it's time to take our leave. It was great seeing you again Astrid. I heard your sports career is on a great path." I could see the anger fly to her face when he said that, and Hiccup continued regardless. "Ah Eret, I also hear your enhancement surgery went well. Seems like you're no longer a cripple down there. It's too bad they couldn't do something about that self-confidence problem though." This time Eret's face contorted in rage as Hiccup continued "oh well, maybe medicine will advance far enough in the future to reconcile that."

I could see Eret shaking with rage. Eret went to take a step toward Hiccup, but I had another idea in mind. I shot ice right where his foot was going to land. It didn't have quite the desired effect though, because he slipped and started to fall my direction with his hand extended out. In a flash, Hiccup had him flat on his back with his MP5K pointed in his face. It attracted the attention of a few nearby guards who quickly made their way over to us. One guard I recognized as Sergeant Johns and called him over. "Sergeant Johns, this man has made an attempt to harm me. I would like for you to take both of them from here immediately." He gave a small bow and replied "as you wish, my Queen."

A few moments later both Astrid and Eret were removed from the boardwalk and carted off to the police station. With a bit of normalcy returned I turned to Hiccup with a smile "I think we still have a run to finish." He gave a small laugh as he replied "that we do." The two of us proceeded to run back down to the shoreline and toward the castle.


End file.
